Overachiever
by Orlandoroxmysox
Summary: .'You can't insult me that way.' he hissed. She leaned towards him, her breath brushing his cheek as she whispered in his ear. 'I believe I just did.' HGDM
1. Fiery Encounter

**Overachiever**

**Chapter 1**

**Fiery Encounter**

Draco Malfoy smirked as a terrified first year dove out of his way at the sight of him and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, who were menacingly cracking their knuckles behind him. His polished black shoes reflected the dull beige of the compartment's carpet as he strode past the windows, tinted red with the sunset, which gave his pale blonde hair an insidious glow. A compartment door opened directly in front of his face, and he stopped, the tip of his pale nose touching the door.. As his heartbeat returned to normal, he peered angrily around the edge, met by a pair of startling green eyes.

"Potter! Watch what you're doing, you almost hit me with that blasted door." he sneered. Harry stepped out from the compartment and narrowed his eyes at the Slytherin, somewhat arrogantly brushing imaginary dust from his dark blue sweater.

"What, scared it would disfigure you or something? Not that you could look anymore like a spoiled ferret..." Harry trailed off, smirking confidently. Behind him, Ron and Ginny Weasley were shaking with suppressed laughter.

"So, where's little Miss-Know-It-All Granger?" Draco asked coolly, motioning to the absence of Hermione in the compartment.

"I'm right here, ferret, and I suggest you watch what you say." Hermione said, walking up behind Harry and narrowing her eyes. Her golden brown hair looked fiery from the red reflection of the windows, giving her a somewhat menacing look, and her hazel eyes were just as fierce.

"Oh, and why should I compell myself to do that, especially in the company of a mudbl-" Draco was cut off as Hermione's wand appeared, pointed between his eyes. Hermione smirked.

"Another word, and it's detention." she said, pointing to her Head Girl's badge. He simply rolled his eyes. She put her wand back in her pocket. "Now, will you kindy MOVE so I can get my book? The Head Boy is late to the meeting in the Prefect compartment and I'm sick of listening to Luna spout things from the Quibbler every ten seconds."

Draco moved a fraction of an inch to the left, sneering. Hermione pushed past him roughly and picked her book up off the seat. She turned to push past him again when he stepped in front of her, blocking her path. She lowered her eyes to the shining badge wavering in front of her face and nearly fainted.

"Y-...You're Head Boy?" she asked, startled. He nodded coolly and turned to continue down the corridor, but a small laugh from Hermione stopped him. He turned to see her smirking, her confidence back.

"Well, I have no idea how you became Head Boy, short of bribing Dumbledore, which I highly doubt would be accepted, but in any case, you're late. 5 points from Slytherin." Hermione spouted off coolly. Ron's jaw dropped. Ginny was staring admiringly at Hermione, and Harry had put his hand in his pocket and was holding tightly to his wand, which he expected to have to use.

Draco was a bit taken aback and hid it with another smirk. Hermione could see in his eyes that he was alarmed. Satisfied, she turned on her heel and started briskly down the corridor, her plain black robes flowing behind her. After a moment of silence, Draco followed.

"Where did THAT come from?" Ron said incredulously.

"I don't know, but I'm nervous." Ginny said.

"What for?"

"The Head Girl and Boy are in charge of organizing dances, other activities, taking points, giving detentions to everyone including prefects... those two will never agree on anything! They'll be at each others' throats the entire time." Ginny said.

"If he so much as breathes wrong in her general direction, I'll kill him." Ron said angrily.

"I have a feeling that this year is going to be... interesting." Harry said, closing the compartment door behind him.

Hermione, whose momentary burst of cruel confidence (rivaling the Slytherin Prince himself) was gone, shakily opened the door to the small, dingy compartment. Luna Lovegood, now a Ravenclaw prefect, was humming something to herself and reading the Quibler upside down, precisely where Hermione had left her. 2 Hufflepuffs were sitting in one corner, whispering quietly, Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom were sitting across from them, another Ravenclaw was looking interestedly at Dean's article about soccer in the United States, Millicent Bulstrode took up the rest of the seat space on their side, and Pansy Parkinson was next to Luna, picking at her fingernails and rolling her eyes every so often. Hermione sat next to Pansy and opened her book.

A moment later, Draco strode in and observed the compartment. Making a show of rolling his eyes and turning up his nose, he reluctantly sat in the remaining space between Hermione and the wall. Hermione made a point of poking him roughly with her right elbow, which was being squashed against her by Draco's side, and continued to read.

McGonagall entered the compartment, her shoes tapping noisily on the floor.

"Welcome to the Prefect Compartment. I expect you all to see this as an honor and a good opportunity to- has no one thought to use an enlargement spell?" McGonagall pulled out her wand.

"Engorgio." The compartment suddenly expanded, the seats becoming twice as long, and the floor space between them now the width of the Weasley's kitchen. The students moved down the lengthened seats, and Hermione followed suit, scooting pointedly away from Draco as quickly as possible. Draco, in rebuttal, made a Thank-God praying motion, enjoying the annoyed look on her face.

They were tempted to stick their tongues out at each other, but they reminded themselves silently that they were in 6th year, Head Girl and Boy, and they were in a crowded compartment. And that they could do it later in the hall when no one was looking.

McGonagall launched back into her speech about upholding the rules, taking care of their duties as Heads and Prefects, and the various procedures. Hermione pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from the pocket of her robes, carefully unrolling the parchment against the cover of her book, and began to scribble furiously.

_'She's taking notes? I knew Granger was a know-it-all, but this is just ridiculous." _Draco thought, rolling his eyes. He began picking at the loose fibers on his robe sleeve.

McGonagall finished up, wished them luck, and left, her robes soaring after her as the compartment door closed loudly. Draco looked out the window and saw that they were nearing Hogsmeade Station, the lake beyond glittering with lights from the castle. He pulled out his wand.

"Effingo", he whispered, pointing his wand at Hermione's parchment, which was poking out of her pocket, as she read. A piece of parchment appeared wrapped around his wand. He pulled it off and unrolled it.

"Malfoy, pay attention and write your own notes. -Hermione", he read. He glared at the top of Hermione's bent head and went back to the parchment.

"Aparecium", he whispered, pointing his wand at his copy. Nothing happened. Rolling his eyes angrily, he crumpled it up and tossed it under the seat.

The train came to a screeching halt, the steam pouring out of the grimy steampipes and disappearing into the cold air. Harry, Ron, and Ginny clambered off the train, moving towards the carriages. Ron scanned the crowd, his eyes searching hopefully for a familiar bushy, brown head, but he didn't see her in the large crowd of students moving towards the carriages, with the exception of the large group of first years crowded around Hagrid, heading for the boats bobbing expectantly at the docks.

They walked along the row of carriages until they found an empty one. They clambered up the slippery steps and into the warmth of the musty carriage. Ron kept the door open, looking around expectantly, waiting for Hermione to see him in case she was lost.

"Ron, shut the door, mate, it's cold." Harry said. Ron ignored him and kept it open, looking around the station. Harry looked pleadingly at Ginny.

"Ron, don't the Heads have their own carriage?" Ginny asked gently. His face fell a bit and he closed the door, sitting back and tearing open a Chocolate frog. Taking a look at the card, he chucked the card at Ginny, whom he gave his duplicates. She caught it and put it in her pocket, where she had a growing pile of new cards from the train ride.

"Oh, don't be so sullen, mate, we'll see her at the feast..." Harry trailed off at the look on Ron's face. His own face fell when he remembered that the Head boy and girl had to sit at a special table, to the left of the staff table, but decided he wouldn't tell Ron, as it would only make him feel worse. The thestral attached to their carriage tapped his hooves impatiently on the cobblestones and snorted loudly.

The carriage line started to move, slowly inching up the steep stone path, followed by the silhouettes of the boats gliding silently across the icy waters, towards the castle looming in the distance.

**A/N: Hey! What's up? I came home sick Tuesday, and stayed home the rest of the week. I feel horrible. I got this sudden burst of inspiration and I got on Fanfiction and I re-did this first chapter of Overachiever. I also deleted Behind These Hazel Eyes because... well, it sucked. Plot holes and nonsense and such. Not snarky enough. Lol I love that word. Snarky. Anyways, sorry I haven't updated forever! I've been so busy with school and homework and Color Guard and going to see The Corpse Bride with my friend that I haven't gotten a chance. And I had no inspiration. I think it's the increase of orange juice that did it. Thanks to Hazelocean, Gi Xian, and Rebell (yay! recent review!) for reviewing the old version! Hope you like the new version too!**

**Gi Xian- carry on with this, and what if the heads carriage acidently got delayed goin to hogwarts? hm  
**_Not a bad idea... hmmmmmmmm (also)... thanks for the idea! _

**Hazelocean- cool story!  
**_Thanks! _

**Rebell- Hm, let's see... yes! another DmHg, love 'em! let me see... ideas... I'll come back to that.**

**Awesome story so far, I think you keep the characters pretty well IC. I like your style!I don't know about the years. I suppose you could move it to 7th, but then you'd have to deal with all the Horcruxes and stuff... But don't they choose Head Boy and Girl in the Seventh year? You could disregard the sixth year as being mostly uneventful for once and still move it to the seventh year.Or, you could disregard the sixth book and continue in the sixth year... Since Head Boy and Girl are supposed to be chosen in the 7th year, you'd need an explanation for that though... maybe you could do a short part saying that the war has already begun during the summer, and many seventh years have gone to fight, or have left school early and plan to return to finish when the war is over. Then, due to lack of seventh year student, they would go ahead and choose students from the sixth year.**

**About finishing the story, lots of people have done a Draco/Hermione fic using Head Boy and Head Girl. You'd need a twist or a really masterfully done bit using the other storylines. You know most people say, "oh first they hate eachother, then they like each other, then they hate eachother because Draco has a jerk relapse, they make up, they love each other, the end" very trite. Personally i think you could handle either of them quite well, as you are obviously a good writer.**

**Also, I'm assuming this will end up DmHg. It depends if you're just throwing Draco in and planning to use him as some sort of pawn. If I remember right, from your profile, you like both DmHg and RwHg, right? So, right there, there's somethin that you can change. Draco's Head Boy, and Hermione still ends up with Ron. But then, what would be Draco's involvement? Does he turn good anyway, and who makes him good? If Hermione turns his outlook around, (and we're still using the scenario of Hermione/Ron) we all know that Ron's personality would make him jealous and make him act like a prat. Another twist, does Hermione decide not to go out with him any more?**

**Jeez, this a long review. I'd send more ideas to you on email, but my email address doesn't like yours. Something a bout a message failure. n'e way, oh yes, before i go, two more things. I'd like to check out the Hp Board, but i can't find it. I'm assuming it's on somewhere, but either i'm totally overlooking it, or it's somewhere else. And two, heh heh, the contrasting lines about Hermione being an overacheiver... so funny!  
**_Wow! Thanks! Omg that's the longest review i've ever gotten! Cookie for you. I think I'm going to keep it 6th year, and pretend the book never happened lol. I might use the war excuse as to why they chose 6th years. Thanks for the idea! It will be Ron/Hermione at one point, but in the end, it will most likely be a Draco/Hermione, and the ending... well, I thought I might end it with them being in a really bad situation, or escaping from one, and then have a sequel. I won't give the ending away though. I want this to be like, my longest story yet. I also haven't finished Forbidden Forest yet, and I'm going to edit that a bit. Thanks for calling me a good writer! You're a really good writer too, I love Wolfsbane! I can't wait for the update!_

_Oh, I need to check my profile and make sure the email is right. Did you send it to Also, I put another review on Wolfsbane correcting the last one, because it's actually a diff. site, but the dumb review messed the address up. Thanks a lot for reviewing!_

**All 3 of you get cookies! Also, Rebell gets the extra cookie i mentioned for giving me a great idea... DUN DUN DUN lol.**

**  
**Thanks for reading!

_Charlotte_


	2. Closer Than Intended

**Chapter 2**

The carriages rattled as they slowly made their way along the steep edge of the hills leading directly into the Black Lake.

Hermione stared out the window of the Head's carriage. The walls were a deep burgundy (much to Draco's obvious distaste), with mottled cream-colored velvet seats. Black wrought iron swirls adorned the back of the doors and rested in an elegant pattern above the seats. Draco was in a stony silence as well, after 5 or so failed attempts to persuade Hermione to let him copy her notes.

After growing bored with the murky view out of the carriage window, Hermione took to staring at the spot of burgundy carriage wall directly above Draco's head. He looked up and met her gaze with smirking eyes.

"Are you staring at me?" he asked. "So you've finally come round, Granger."

"What are you blathering on about?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of sarcasm as she raised an eyebrow. "Don't flatter yourself. I was looking at that very interesting bit of wall above you, Malfoy." she finished, smirking slightly. Draco's green-gray eyes narrowed at her.

"Well, Granger's got a spine this year." he said mockingly.

"Surprised?"

"Somewhat." he replied airily, examining a particularly shiny spot on his shoe.

"Well, get used to it." she said, turning towards the window again. The tense silence descended on them once again. The horses' hooves clicked loudly on the cobblestones, the wheels squeaked, even the gentle crashing of the waves below them took up the silence in the carriage. Hermione tapped her fingers on her book.

"Could you stop?" Draco asked, thoroughly irritated.

"No." she said defiantly, but she stopped after a moment anyway. She was desperate... she sighed.

"So, erm, how was your summer, Malfoy?" she asked somewhat uninterestedly, brushing some imaginary dust from her robes.

"None of your business, actually, Granger." he drawled. There was a hint of haughtiness in his voice. He felt a small terror welling from the pit of his stomach as his mind frantically chased away the memories trying to resurface. No one would ever know what went on in the solitude of Malfoy Manor; he made sure of that. Hermione clenched her fists at her sides.

"I was trying to be polite. You should try it sometime." she snapped.

"To you? Why should I waste my manners on a M-" Hermione cut him off.

"Don't you dare get started on calling me 'Mudblood'-", at this she made air quotes, " and 'Know-It-All' and such like a child. You could at least dignify me with better insults, Malfoy, but I shouldn't expect much from you." she spat. Her eyes had the same fiery quality as they had in the compartment earlier, the moonlight shimmering in them wildly. He opened his mouth to voice his rebuttal, but she continued.

"You know, it really amazes me. After being in the same school with you for 5 years, enduring classes with you, seeing you out of school, and putting up with you seemingly everywhere I go, you haven't changed from the snotty little kid in the bookstore, who thought he was better than anyone else because his mommy and daddy told him so. You know what the truth is? You're a coward. You can't fight with anything but nasty names and- well, I shouldn't say magic, because you can only seem to use that properly in a fight when your opponent's back is turned!" she rattled off. 5 years of pent up hate and frustration were building up inside of her. She remembered the incident from 4th year, when she punched him. A smirk settled onto her lips as she remembered his expression.

"Where do you get off?" he yelled. His face was twisted in an ugly grimace. "You can't insult me like that!" With that, he stood. She joined him. THey were practically touching noses in the small carriage; they could feel each others' hot breath on their faces. Hermione's amber eyes bored defiantly into Draco's own greenish-grey. She leaned towards him, her lips just inches from his cheek.

"I believe I just did." she whispered into his ear. She pulled away and he raised his wand to her face.

"One more word..." he said through gritted teeth.

"And what, you'll call Daddy for help?" she said coolly. His eyes lit up with a new rage Hermione had never witnessed from Draco. He brought his face close to her. She lowered her eyes.

"Don't you dare bring my father into this conversation. You always think you know the answer, don't you? You're such an overachiever. But you know nothing about my father, so don't parade around like you know exactly what goes on, okay?" he said. He had started out angrily, but the slightest hint of pleading crept in at the end.

"Or what, he'll sic Uncle Voldie on me? You're like a puppy. Always doing what Daddy tells you. Get away from me!" she said, her voice raising to a shout. A new light passed through Draco's eyes. His side began to burn with pain as a memory surfaced...

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_Draco cowered on the floor, pain shooting through his body. His eyes continued to fill with unshed tears, but he blinked them back. He would not give his father the pleasure of his anguish._

_"Crucio." Lucius said boredly, flicking his wand. A smirk lay on his lips._

_Draco's body twisted from the inside out, and he writhed in pain on the stone floor of the dungeon guest room. He clamped his teeth together hard; he choked back shrieks of pain. His left side was riddled with purple and black bruises, marbling his porcelain skin all the way up his left side and across his chest, stopping at his collarbone. Blood seeped from the web of lacerations crisscrossing his pale chest and stomach. He struggled to stop his racing heart; every beat seemed to bring forth a new pool of blood that seeped into the waistband of his pants and added to the puddles already marring the floor._

_"On the bed." Lucius hissed. Draco shook his head with effort, pain shooting through his skull. Lucius stood and strode to where Draco lay vulnerable on the floor, his long blood locks swishing against his bare back. He picked Draco up roughly by one arm and threw him towards the velvet laden guest bed. Draco fell to his knees on the stone floor and another shockwave of pain echoed across his body through his kneecaps. He gasped and leaned against the soft velvet bedcovers._

_Lucius pulled him to his feet by the same arm, digging his nails into Draco's delicate skin, and spun him around, pushing him roughly into the velvet. Draco couldn't help shrieking into the soft bedcovers as Lucius dug his nails into Draco's shoulders, trailing them down his slender, bruised back until he reached the waistband of Draco's pants. Draco felt the nails leave his skin and grasp onto the only clothing he still had on. He let a few tears spill forth; he knew what Lucius intended to do._

_Lucius tore them off brutally, and they fell into a heap on the floor next to the remains of Draco's shirt. Draco trembled, grasping the covers until his knuckles turned white, as Lucius leaned over him, his long blond hair falling on the deep scratches he had made on Draco's back. Shivers traveled through Draco's spine as Lucius's hot breath tickled his ear as he hissed._

_"You're mine."_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Draco moaned in pain as he came back to reality. Hermione's amber eyes were inches from his own; they were filled with worry. He noticed the carriage ceiling loomed behind her head. He slowly sat up. His whole body ached, as if he had been transported back into that memory... his wand lay discarded on the floor.

"What happened?" he croaked. His voice was raw against his throat.

"You got a strange look on your face... and you knocked me against the seat, and tried to do some kind of wandless magic, I suppose, because you didn't say anything, but there was this light at the end of your wand... I thought you were going to kill me." she said softly. He noticed that her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and there were several tear streaks already marring her face. Her lip was trembling, although he could see that she was trying hard not to cry. She was as defiant as ever.

"I used Expelliarmus on you, and you passed out and hit your head on the edge of the seat. I thought you were dead." she said. Another tear fell from her eyes, her long eyelashes glistening. She looked away and hurriedly wiped her cheek with the sleeve of her blue sweater.

A shockwave passed briefly through Draco's thoughts; she had cried because she thought he was dead. He had expected her do be doing a victory dance or something when he woke up. He laughed silently at the previous thought.

His side throbbed rhythmically. He slowly got to his feet, wincing as he felt a few of his scars open again. He hoped that they wouldn't bleed through his shirt; he didn't want to have to explain if she noticed. She would want to see; he knew that she aspired to be a Healer at St. Mungo's since the job consultations last year. He willed the blood to stay behind his skin as he opened the carriage door.

She grabbed his left arm; he gasped and tore it away from her. He could still feel the bruises in the shape of Lucius's long fingers as they wrapped around his arm.

"Uh, I can do it, thanks." he said hurriedly. She gave him a strange look. He stepped down from the carriage and sighed when he felt the hard, sure ground beneath his feet. He took a confident step forward, and his knees buckled under him. He heard her gasp and hit the ground, rushing to his side.

"Draco, are you okay?" she said, worry stabbing at her voice. He noted silently, with the same shock that had come from her tears, that she had used his first name. Strange what brought enemies closer.

'Why did I just call him Draco?' Hermione thought. 'It's strange what brings enemies closer.' she thought wryly. She helped him to his feet and draped his arm across her shoulders before he could protest again.

They hobbled around the empty cluster of carriages and silently made their way towards the great, twinkling mass that was Hogwarts.

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How was that for a second chapter? The third is almost finished too! Yay!

REVIEWS

CHAPTER 1

**Rebell:** YAY! YOURE BACK! lol, and very good, yes more detail is always wonderful! COOKIE! (nibbles greedily, guards) It's mine... yum... lol, funny stuff eh? I like being hyper, i make me laugh... -lol, and rereading that sentence made me laugh...- Luv alwayz, Rebell

_Thanks! And also thanks for being such a loyal reviewer!_

CHAPTER 2

**Rebell: **EK! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? (trails off moaning) Por Draco, poor baby... Sniff... I LIKE! ABSOLUTELY SQUEE! Luv, Rebell

_Lol, I started to read your review, and I thought it was bad! I was freaking out! Then I saw the Like and Squee bits and I was fine. shows snapshot of Violet breathing in a paper bag Hehe! Thanks again! Yeah, that was the darkest thing i think I've written so far. Danananananaaaaaa innuendo! pretends to barf I hate Lucius._

**Broken Crayon Dreams:** Wow. That was dark, very well written, but dark. Keep going, I like it.

_Thanks! _

hands cookies to all Thanks for reading!

_Charlotte_


	3. A Day With Draco

Draco opened his eyes and immediately shut them again; warm, yellow light fell across his face. He groaned as he stretched his stiff limbs and sat up very slowly, wincing at the pain in his side.

"Oh, I see you're up." Madame Pompfrey said cheerily as she trotted to his bedside and gently pushed him back against the pillows. "Rest, rest, you've got some nasty injuries. Drink up." she continued, lifting a foul-smelling vial to his lips. He gagged and tried to swallow it faster, the disgusting goop inching down his throat. It had the consistency of snot. Shuddering, he took a long gulp from the water glass handed to him by the nurse.

"That'll help the bruises heal faster, and the bump on your head is nearly gone as well. You had a small fracture in one of your ribs; I healed that when Miss Granger brought you up here last night." Madame Pompfrey said, smoothing his blanket and cleaning up the side table. "Did you know she carried you up the 3 flights of stairs here almost all by herself?" the nurse asked, a note of admiration in her voice. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Why would she do that?" he asked.

"She was worried about you when you passed out near the Great Hall. She's still asleep over there, poor thing." Madame Pompfrey said, pointing as she hurried the vials and water glass away and returned to her office. Draco turned and saw Hermione's crumpled form curled up in an armchair near the doors.

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" he called. She didn't move.

Sighing, Draco closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come, but it wouldn't. 'What am I going to do all day?' he thought. After pondering for a few moments, he slowly inched out of bed and stood. His whole torso throbbed with pain, and he winced with every step. Slowly shuffling his way to Hermione, he gently shook her shoulder.

"Hey, wake up." he said. She jerked out of her slumber, falling to the floor with a thump.

"What the-?" she croaked. Draco suppressed a laugh as she picked herself up.

"That's not funny." she grumbled. "What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting." she said with a new hint of worry in her voice. She gently pushed him back to the bed and sat in the chair next to him.

"You're worried." he said. It wasn't a question. Her eyes snapped open. Draco watched her face intently, waiting for an answer. Her eyes were red and blotchy, as if she had been crying, and her hair stuck out at odd angles. A horrified look came over her face.

"Oh no! Class! I'm late! I've got to go, I can't-" she began frantically, but Draco cut her off.

"Calm down, Granger, it's Saturday. The first day conveniently fell on a Friday this year." He leaned forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down in her seat, where she had been perched to bolt for the door. Hermione gave him a strange look, and then relaxed into the chair.

"I suppose I could stand not having to start Arithmancy and Advanced Potions for a few days." Hermione commented dryly.

"Advanced Potions? Oh, lovely, we have to put up with each other in an enclosed space for an hour every other day." Draco groaned.

"You're in that class as well? How did you get in? Only 10 select students were chosen." Hermione asked him bewilderedly.

"I suppose I have a natural talent. I'm not stupid, you know." he replied sarcastically. Hermione rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair. They passed a few moments in silence before Hermione made an attempt at conversation.

"What happened to your side?" she asked quietly. He looked away and suddenly became very interested in the blanket draped across his legs. Madame Pompfrey must have told her.

"I- I fell off my broom this summer." he said. Hermione looked skeptical.

"Oh... I guess you need more practice if you're going to have any chance at beating Gryffindor at Quidditch this year, huh?" she grinned. Draco gave her a mock look of horror at the suggestion that he needed practice.

"I could beat you bloody Gryffindors with my hands tied behind my back." he stated matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair, something of a smug look on her face.

"Language, Mr. Malfoy." Madame Pompfrey called, leaning out the door of her office and giving the two a pointed look. As she closed the door, Draco gave Hermione an incredulous look.

"I swear, that woman has ears like a damned greyhound." he muttered.

"Ahem." Madame Pompfrey was suddenly at the end of his bed, hands on hips. Draco smiled faintly.

"Time for your medicine, Mr. Malfoy." she said sternly. Draco choked down another dose of the snot-like liquid, gagging audibly. Hermione held back a snicker as she stepped behind the curtain to allow Draco some privacy while the nurse changed the poultice on his side.

'Is Draco telling the truth?' she thought. A worried look settled on her features. 'Malfoy. Not Draco, Malfoy. It's not as if we're suddenly best mates just because I carried him to the Hospital Wing. I want to be friends, though. I'm sick of fighting. But Harry and Ron...' Hermione's thoughts were interrupted as her stomach protested loudly that it had nothing in it but the Chocolate Frog she had nicked from Ron's pile during the train ride.

"Hungry, Miss Granger? I could have a tray sent up." Madame Pompfrey offered as she pulled the curtain back. Hermione nodded.

"Thanks, that would be lovely." Hermione said.

"Could you make it two?" Draco asked from the bed. Madam Pompfrey nodded, casting both of them a smile as she adjourned to her office to owl the kitchens. Pulling out a book and brushing her hair out of her face, Hermione sat on the bed next to Draco's and began to read. Draco, bored out of his mind, allowed her a good 10 minutes before interrupting her.

"Must you read all the time, Granger?" he asked. Hermione cast him an irritated look.

"Must you be so annoying all the time, Malfoy?" she retorted. Sighing, Hermione pulled a charms book from her bag, which the nurse had sent for the night before in case they needed something to do, and dropped it on Draco's lap.

"What am I supposed to do with this, Granger, use it as a footrest?" he asked wryly.

"Either start reading or stop talking." she said, beginning to read again from the potions book spread across her lap. Sighing and rolling his eyes, Draco began to flip absentmindedly through the charms book.

"This is a high level of Charms, Granger, what are you doing with it?" Draco asked.

"I've already read and practiced the spells in this year's book, so Flitwick wrote me a letter with some 7th year book suggestions that I could start on." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Must you be such a... an overachiever all the time?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Must you ask stupid questions?" she replied. Draco began to read again, and before he knew it, he found himself really absorbing the information. It was interesting; Draco would never admit it, but he always wanted to learn more, as much as he could, and he had finished reading the entire library in Malfoy Manor the previous summer. He had spent all summer practicing Quidditch instead, and he noted that he had never read this book before.

"Here you are, dears." Madame Pompfrey said cheerily, jerking Draco from his reverie as she placed two silver trays piled with food in front of each of them before returning to her office.

"The House Elves must have been busy." Draco commented. Hermione pulled a piece of paper from under a plate of treacle tarts and read it, an amused smile spreading across her face.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A note from Dobby. He says he hopes we enjoy the food, and to please not kill each other." Hermione read, grinning.

"Well, I'm not going to kill you, at least not right now. I want to eat lunch first." Draco said dryly. Hermione rolled her eyes at him before starting in on a plate of chicken. When Hermione was finished, she got out of bed and picked up her bag, taking back her Charms book and starting for the door.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked. She gave him a strange look.

"I'm going to have McGonagall show me to our dorm. I'm not spending all day in here." Hermione replied.

"Oh. Well, just make sure it's not pink or anything. And it better not be in Gryffindor colors when I move in." Draco joked. Hermione rolled her eyes and left the Hospital Wing, starting down the spiral staircase. As she approached McGonagall's office, she couldn't help feeling guilty for leaving Draco alone.

'Stop feeling guilty. The less time you spend with Malfoy, the better. We'd probably just sit there berating each other and fighting. I can't stand talking to him, with that smug look on his face. Still... I feel bad for leaving him there with nothing to do. His Slytherin cronies will probably visit him anyway.' she thought. 'I don't have any reason to feel bad. It's Malfoy.' As she argued with her conscience in her head, she turned a corner towards McGonagall's office and felt her body collide with something soft and crashed to the floor.

"Ouch! I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't really paying attention." she said to the person she was almost on top of. Standing up and brushing herself off, she reached out a hand to help them up.

"Hermione?" asked the body. It was Ron. She hoisted him to his feet and helped pick up the books now scattered around them. "Where have you been all day?" he asked. "And you weren't at the feast... neither was Malfoy. What's going on?" he continued.

"Oh, I just, um... Dra- I mean, Malfoy tripped, and I took him to the hospital wing, and just sort of fell asleep." she finished lamely. He gave her a strange look.

"He didn't try to hex you or anything?" Ron asked. Hermione thought he was joking, but then again, it was hard to tell with Ron when Malfoy was concerned.

"No, we talked a little and argued about Quidditch and... yeah." Ron looked as if he was about to ask more questions, but Hermione didn't feel like listening to another rant about Malfoy... God only knows how many times she had listened to the same thing over and over, and she despised Malfoy as well, but their conversations got repetitive... Malfoy is a death eater, Malfoy is coming, better start a fight, Oh look, Malfoy is going into a classroom after class is over, he must be conspiring to murder someone...

"Um, Ron, I've got to talk to McGonagall, so I'l see you later, okay?" Hermione said, hurrying around Ron and down the hall. Ron gave her retreating back one last worried glance before heading outside to meet Dean and Seamus.

'What is going on?'

_+++++REVIEWS!!!+++++_

Rebell:lol... poor Draco... i wonder whats going on? love this chappy!

_Thanks! _

Thanks to Rebell for reviewing!!

_Charlotte_


	4. Godric Gryffindor Is My Hero

**Chapter 4**

Hermione quickly slipped into the Transfiguration room, glad to be away from Ron, hurrying through the rows of empty desks to the office on the other side of the room.

"Professor McGonagall?" she called as she knocked. The door swung open and Hermione entered. The room was half the size of the classroom, with a high ceiling. A large spiral staircase sat in one corner, leading to a loft. There was a fireplace on the first floor, with several inviting, cushioned chairs and a bookshelf.

Setting her black bookbag on one of the chairs, Hermione climbed the wrought-iron staircase and emerged on the loft. Another bookshelf greeted her, as well as a large desk against the railing along the edge of the loft. There was another wall about halfway across the loft floor, with two large wooden doors. Hermione figured it was McGonagall's bedroom.

"Oh, Miss Granger, hello." came the professor's voice from the desk. Hermione turned and saw that the chair was empty. Raising an eyebrow, she leaned forward, over the desk, to see a mottled gray and black cat curled in the chair. Hermione almost giggled; the cat was wearing a pair of spectacles perched on it's angular nose. The cat lept from the chair.

With a swirl of colors and strange yowling sounds, the cat transformed into the Transfiguration Professor once more. Her green cloak swirled behind her as she returned to her chair, her spectacles magically adjusted to her human face.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"I've come to ask you to show me where the Head's dorm is, Professor. Dr- erm, Malfoy is still in the hospital wing, but once he's released I'll be sure to show him myself." Hermione finished with a polite smile.

"Ah, yes, Miss Granger, I had been meaning to do that." McGonagall stood and pocketed her wand, starting down the staircase and beckoning Hermione to follow. As the professor swept from the room, Hermione grabbed her bookbag and slung it over her shoulder before following.

_+++Several floors later...+++_

McGonagall stopped on the 6th floor and watched Hermione, who was panting, emerge at the top of the staircase and trot down the hall. McGonagall motioned to the painting they were standing in front of. It was a dungeon cell, stone walls and mold and grime; the works. A man sat in a corner, leaning against the wall, his face in the shadows.

"Leonard? Leonard, are you awake?" McGonagall asked, tapping on the painting's frame. The figure moved out of the shadows. He was thin, most likely from lack of food and exertion(he was in a dungeon, after all), but he wasn't sickly; he was sort of solid, a thin layer of muscle rippling under his pale skin. He had a round face, thin as well, with a strong jawline. His deep brown eyes glittered under somewhat bushy eyebrows, which were so blonde that they were almost nonexistent. His dirty blonde hair was ragged, stopping just below his ears, and flopped over his left eye rebelliously. His thin, angled nose protruded a little. His teeth weren't as dirty and rotted as Hermione would have expected from someone living in a dungeon. Leonard noticed her staring at them and grinned wider.

"Yeah, nice, aren't they? The portrait was done not long after I'd been put in this hellhole; believe me, they got worse." he said. McGonagall gave him a stern look.

"Watch your language, Leonard, please." she reprimanded. He nodded and smiled politely.

"Sorry, Minerva. Who's this?" he asked, motioning to Hermione.

"I'm Hermione Granger, I'm Head Girl this year." she answered. He nodded politely to her as well.

"What would you like your password to be, Miss Granger?" he asked. His voice gave him to be about as old as the twins; somewhere around 17. Hermione wondered how old he really was; he was polite for a criminal.

"Hmm... how about 'Godric Gryffindor is my hero'?" Hermione asked with a sly grin. McGonagall gave a rare half-smile. Malfoy would kill her, but it was worth it.

"Let me guess... the Head Boy is not a Gryffindor, is he?" Leonard asked, grinning.

"Slytherin. Although he'd most likely rather sleep in the hallway then give you the password." Hermione said with a giggle.

"Good luck with that one. Well, here you are." he said as the portrait swung open. Hermione stepped through the rectangular portrait hole somewhat precariously- it was higher off the ground then she had imagined -and surveyed the common room. The walls were a deep cerulean color, with pristinely light blue carpet to match. A large fireplace was mounted on one wall; two dark blue armchairs sat in front of it, angled towards the hearth. A large bookshelf was against another wall, heavy with books in every subject, along with some not related to schoolwork, and it reached almost to the ceiling. On one end of the bookshelf was a large ladder with wide steps, and runners to slide it on attached to the length of the top and bottom of the bookshelf.

The other wall was different; the floor was raised about 4 feet off the ground with a carpeted blue staircase leading to it. Three black doors stood on the wall. Hermione hoisted her bag up onto her red-sweatered-shoulder and climbed up the short staircase, choosing the door directly in front of her; the middle door. Fumbling, she found a lightswitch and flicked it upwards.

She was standing in a large bathroom. The floor was a pristine white linoleum. To her left was a toilet and a large marbled countertop. Next to the sink sat several bars of soap, wrapped in paper with the Hogwarts seal, along with a small pile of green handtowels and a small pile of red ones. Hermione got a faint feeling of being in a hotel. The large mirror had lights around the edges, as would a stage makeup mirror, and there were several empty drawers for them to use.

On the other end of the room was a large bath. It was about 6 or 7 feet off the ground, and wide stairs wrapped around it. She climbed the stairs; at the top, it panned out into smooth linoleum for a few feet and in the center was a large bath. Stepping into it, Hermione saw that she was just barely taller than the edge, and she was around 5'8". Like the prefect baths, there were several different knobs that poured bubble bath into the water.

Climbing down from the bath (**A/N: It's not that high, when she's on the ground it's just a little taller than her**), Hermione noticed that across from the sink stood a shelf unit with bath towels and washclothes in red and green. There were even two terrycloth bath robes, one in red and one in green, for them to use. There were two doors, one on each side of the room, and she stepped through the one on the right.

She emerged into a room slightly smaller than the bathroom; it was Draco's room, she noticed, as the walls were a deep green, with almost obscenely white carpet. There was a polished desk next to a large armoire on one wall, a bay window between them. Another wall was blank save for a bulletin board and a small green (of course) couch, and on the last, his bed. It was a large, standard Hogwarts bed with dark green curtains and a dark wood finish. The bedcovers were shades of green with black pillowcases that bore the Slytherin crest. A small bedside table sat to one side with an elegant lamp atop it.

Leaving this room, she entered the bathroom and went through the other door. This was her room; it was painted a dark crimson, with the same blindingly white carpet as Draco's room.

'_Malfoy's room. Malfoy.'_ she said sternly to herself. As was in Dr-Malfoy's room, there was a bay window in between the armoire and desk, hers bearing a red seat cushion as opposed to his green one. Her bed was draped in attractive cherry and crimson colors with black pillows as well, hers bearing the Gryffindor crest. She set her bookbag on the little red couch and saw that her luggage and trunk were sitting next to the bed. She unpacked, storing all of her clothes neatly in the armoire. She also took out several posters she had brought from home; one with a picture of Green Day, an English band Hermione was fond of, another with a painting of a forlorn fairy sitting in the dark woods, her gray wings spread behind her, and the last with Orlando Bloom, a handsome English actor she had recently "discovered". (**A/N: winks**)

Hermione took off her school loafers and replaced them with a pair of white tennis shoes, hiking her jeans up a little from where they had settled on her hips, and straightened her red sweater before pocketing her wand and leaving the dorms.

Stopping just before the portrait hole, Hermione pulled her wand from her front pocket, where it was jabbing into her thigh, and shoved it in a back pocket.

"Lose a buttock. Right." Hermione snorted, repeating the advice Fred and George had given them about wands in back pockets. She climbed through the portrait hole and set off for the Hospital wing.

_++++++++++++REVIEWS!!!++++++++++++_

**TaurusGirl:** update soon!

_I will! I've already got Chapter 5 in the works! Thanks so much._

**Zandreda DragonLove:** Update soon! that was brillient! love Zand's

_Thanks so much! _

**dramioneshipper:** let me get this straight: Draco gets RAPED by his father? woah there... great story by the way, I can't wait until you update again! kis Marine

_Yeah, it's sad. Lucius is evil. At first, when I read your review, I was like, what? That doesn't happen in this chapter! But then I got over my ditherspaz attack and realized you'd read from the beginning and then reviewed on the last one. smacks forehead Heh. Thanks for reviewing!_

**Weasly-Hater-Malfoy-Lover:** WHOO! Yay! Poor Draco! Aww...Anyway,lost buttocks and Orlando Bloom? What will you think of next? lol Kudos to you!Weasly-Hater-Malfoy-Lover (P.S. I loved Orlando in Pirates of the Carribean, didn't you?)

_Thanks! Whee! Kudos! That's a fun word...yes, anyhow. I lurrrve Orli in PotC as well!_

**Sunwinged:** Very cute story. Love the witty dialouge. Just might want to check the spelling of some of the words, but it was still a really lovely read. Can't wait for the next chapter (hint, hint)...

_Yes, I know, even though I AM a grammar obsessive compulsive, sometimes I don't catch mistakes, as I use Wordpad. For some reason, I just like it so much more than Microsoft Word or something. It's strange. But thanks for the review!!_

**Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008**: Draco will have a lovely reaction to the password.hehe. he'll probably do something senile to her for that.

_Yes, he's not going to be pleased, let me tell you... grins evilly Thanks for the review!!_

**Rebell**: YEAH! green day and orlando Bloom! soulmates! lol... my favs! Brilliant! lol, i absolutely loved the password bit, and Leonard is totally awesome! whee, i'm really upsyched about this story, and i can't wait to read about Draco's reaction to the password... (snickers)

_Thanks! _

**twinkle-pink-strawberries**: tehe i like where this story is going and plus its funny woo lol

_Thanks! Yay, so many good reviews..._

**Gi Xian:** gr8 chappie, but Green Day aint English, they're American

_Thanks! Oh...Why did I think they were English? Odd._

**Broken Crayon Dreams **:You know, I'm really kinda loving the way this story is starting out, keep it up! -Katie

_Thanks so much!_

Thanks SO MUCH to TaurusGirl, Zandreda Dragonlove, dramioneshipper, Weasly-Hater-Malfoy-Lover, Sunwinged, Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008, Rebell, twinkle-pink-strawberries, Gi Xian and Broken Crayon Dreams for reviewing!!

_Charlotte_


	5. The Password Is

**The Password Is...**

"Out of the way, Granger." Pansy Parkinson's snotty voice echoed in the stairwell to the Hospital Wing as she pushed past Hermione, flanked by a group of glaring Slytherins. They disappeared down the stairs, leaving Hermione to stick her tongue out at their backs as the descended and then finish the climb.

Pansy turned and watched Hermione's back disappear before sneering and turning to Crabbe and Goyle, her dark eyes glittering.

"You two. I have to talk with you...privately." She inclined her head to the rest of them, a signal. The other 3 hurried away, fluttering down the stairs and out of their sight, their robes flying out behind them, giving them the appearace of a flock of ravens as they disappeared around a corner. Pansy waited until their footsteps completely died away before speaking to the two in front of her.

"Something's got to be done. Draco's reputation here, as well as with his father, the other Death Eaters, and even our parents is at stake. If he keeps hanging around that Mudblood, it's going to get around, and eventually to the Dark Lord himself. I can't let Draco embarrass himself like this." Pansy turned up her nose at the word 'Mudblood', and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

Crabbe and Goyle were nodding and giving each other concerned looks as she spoke.

"What's so great about her, anyway?" Goyle said.

"Yeah." Crabbe grunted.

"Will you two Neanderthals shut up for a minute?" Pansy sneered. Her eyes narrowed as she moved closer, checking once more to make sure that no one was around to hear them.

"I have a plan."

_'I hope Harry and Ron won't be too angry if I'm a little late. If they knew I was visiting Draco again... Ron is just an idiot. Malfoy is fine; dripping with sarcasm, but fine. He's not as evil when he's lying in a hospital bed.' _she thought as she walked through the doors. Draco lay on the bed, and when she entered, he sat up, and Hermione noted that he looked a little...eager. There was more color in his cheeks than before. He looked better.

"Hey, Granger." he called, raising a hand.

"Hey, Malfoy." she replied, sitting in the chair near his bed. "I ran into your friends on my way up here...lovely bunch, they are." she continued sarcastically.

"Watch it, Granger." Draco said.

"I don't see what you see in them. They're not the most loyal friends, really. One wrong move and they turn on you. And they hate it that I talk to you now." Hermione said, brushing some hair from her eyes.

"They're loyal enough. Stop criticizing my friends just because you're in the Golden Trio and feel you have to step up and preach about who I associate myself with." Draco snapped. He regretted it as he saw her face fall a little.

_'Oh no, I've made him upset.'_ she thought.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset." she said quietly.

"No, Granger, it's fine, I'm...I'm sorry I snapped at you." Draco said, staring at his blanket as interestedly as if it were showing him the solution to world hunger.

"Wow. I've upgraded to apologies already." Hermione said, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

"Don't get too used to it, Granger." Draco said, trying to smirk, but ending up with a grin himself. "So, shouldn't you be prancing around with Potter and Weasley, saving kittens from trees or saving some little first year from certain death?" he continued.

"I'm meeting them in the library later. They can wait." Hermione said. "I moved into the dorm last night. It's really nice, actually..." Hermione went on to describe it in excruciating detail to Draco. As she neared the end, she noticed that he was leaning against his pillows, breathing evenly, and even drooling. She grimaced and shook him by the shoulder. Draco snapped to attention and glared at her.

"That was a good nap." he pouted; it was soon replaced by another glare as she began to giggle.

"What are you laughing at, Granger?" he asked.

"You drool when you sleep." Hermione giggled. A small flush crept across his face.

"I do not." he said vehemently.

"Do too." she retorted.

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"You do, just look at your pillowcase. Anyway, this is stupid; we sound like, I don't know, first years." Hermione said, smirking and leaning back in her chair.

"God forbid we ever sound like that again." Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, you'll need the password to get in once you've been released from the Hospital Wing." Hermione continued. She grinned at the thought of what his reaction might be.

"Well, what is it?" he asked.

"I-it's..." Hermione began to giggle. Draco's expression took on a horrified air.

"What is it? Granger, tell me what it is." He sat up a little more, his eyes narrowing.

"G-Godric Gryffindor is m-my hero." Hermione giggled. Draco looked at her as if she were insane.

"Granger, have you lost it? I know that, the Gryffindor pride and whatnot, now tell me the bloody password."

"That is the password." Hermione said, regaining control. Draco gaped at her.

"What do you mean, that's the bloody password?" he asked breathlessly.

"I mean, it's the bloody password." Madame Pompfrey bustled out of her office with a stern look.

"Language, you two." she said as she hurried past them and to the supply closet.

"Sorry, Madame Pompfrey. Now, I've got to go meet Ron and Harry in the library, I'm sure they're wondering where I am." she said, giving him a smile as she headed for the door.

"Granger! Granger, wait! You're lying!" Hermione shut the hospital wing doors on his protests and hurried down the stairs. The tapping of her shoes echoed in the stairwell. Stepping off of that staircase, she approached the entrance to the stairwell that led to the Entrance Hall. The afternoon sunlight was filtering in through the high windows, casting odd shadows around her.

Suddenly, as she passed a statue of a knight, she was jerked backwards somewhat violently. A thick arm was latched around her throat. She struggled, but it was useless. She felt her back slam against something hard, and the arm released. Thick hands grabbed her wrists, pulling her back and wrapping her arms around whatever it was she was against. Her shoulders were starting to ache.

Craning her neck, she saw that she was against the statue of the knight, her face dangerously close to the jagged edge of his sword.

"What-" she began vehemently, but a hand closing over her mouth silenced her. Hermione couldn't move her head to see, but her peripheral vision showed her something moving in the shadows to her left. Suddenly, it spoke in a dangerous hiss.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

_+REVIEWS+_

I've reviews! I am so happy!

**devil'lil'**: hi im new and i love this story plz write more and can you do some stuff about what draco is thinking! pretty plz and i don't need cookies i need chapters!

_Yay! I'm glad you love it, and yes, the next chappie will have more of Draco-my-love's thoughts in it._

**TaurusGirl**: update soon!

_I'm workin on it!_

Thanks for reading!

_Charlotte_


	6. Trapped

**Chapter 6**

Warnings

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here." came a hiss from the shadows. Hermione strained against the hands holding her like cement to the statue. A sneering figure stepped from the shadows, a hand reaching out to brush back a few stray, black locks.

"Parkinson." Hermione seethed. Pansy just smirked.

"Acute observation, Granger." she said.

"What the hell do you want?" Hermione scoffed. She was losing her patience now. Pansy stared boredly at her nails.

"Just wanted a chat. There are some things we need to discuss." Pansy said.

"Like what? And why do you have to hold me down to ask?" Hermione said. She could feel her anger bubbling in her stomach, pushing upwards into her throat. Pansy suddenly moved closer to her, staring angrily into Hermione's eyes with her icy blue ones, slightly lighter than Ron's. Hermione recognized the emotions swimming in those eyes; anger, betrayal, sadness, frustration. Pansy began to answer the first question, ignoring the second entirely.

"Draco. Stop hanging around him. You don't know what you're dealing with. All of Slytherin House despises it. Their Prince is associating himself with a Gryffindor. But, oh, no, not just any Gryffindor. No, it had to be the Mudblood know-it-all bitch, Harry Potter's bestest little girlfriend. Goody goody girl." Pansy was fuming.

"Do you have any idea what it's doing to his reputation? What are the other Slytherins to think? The boy they all look up to is breaking one of Slytherin House's biggest rules. He never wants to speak to his real friends anymore. He would rather talk to you than to Blaise or I." Pansy snarled. A small hint of sadness passed through her eyes as they seared into Hermione's.

"He can associate himself with anyone he pleases. I don't see what the problem is, it's not as if we're the best of friends. We can't get through a conversation without arguing. And you don't run his life for him, thank you very much. Draco can make his own choices and you can't stop him." Hermione hissed back.

"I love him. He's my best friend, and I understand him much better than you could. You have no right. Stay away from him." Pansy said. Anger was bubbling to the surface in those eyes again as Pansy stepped back.

"I-" Hermione began.

"Stay away from him." Pansy snarled once more. She snapped her fingers. Suddenly, Hermione was released. She stretched her sore, aching arms. Crabbe and Goyle shouldered roughly past her and behind Pansy, staring ominously over Pansy's head at Hermione.

"You would be wise to take my advice." Pansy said, turning on her heel. Hermione watched them disappear around a corner before muttering a long stream of obscenities and heading for the library. She was trembling, though out of fear or anger, she wasn't sure.

"Mione! Over here!" Ron was waving at her enthusiastically. Hermione made her way over to their table and slipped into a chair. Harry's grin fell as he saw her expression. Ron was oblivious, reaching over to get something from his schoolbag. Probably homework he needed help on. _I can't handle homework right now._ Hermione took a deep breath.

"Hermione, what's the matter?" Harry asked, concern creeping into his voice as his eyebrows knotted together a little.

"N-nothing. It's just..." Hermione trailed off. Ron was now watching anxiously as well. Taking another deep breath, Hermione stood up again.

"I-i'm sorry, I need to go to the Hospital Wing. It's nothing, just a headache." Hermione said.

"Probably from all that studying. You need to tone it down a little, Mione, you'll make yourself sick with stress." Ron said. "I know I never will, I barely do homework as it is." he joked. Hermione gave them a feeble smile and stumbled from the library.

Draco winced. The large bruise on his side was definitely much better, but still aching. He shifted his weight a little to his other side and sighed. He hadn't been sleeping very well recently. He wanted to get out of the Hospital Wing already.

"Okay, Mr. Malfoy, once more." Madame Pomfrey bustled over with another vile medicine. Sighing dramatically, he sat up and stared warily at the spoon near his mouth.

"Oh, come on then, Mr. Malfoy, it's the last time you have to take it." the nurse chattered, putting it closer to his lips. He reluctantly choked down the thick concoction. _Wait...did she say last time?_ Malfoy perked up a little.

"Last time?" he asked. She nodded.

"You're out today. Just put some ice on that bruise when you can for the next few days and put some of this salve on it as well, it'll heal it faster. You didn't think you'd get to stay here forever, did you?" the nurse joked.

Malfoy slid out of bed and smiled. _I would rather marry Millicent Bulstrode than stay here another day._ He found his robes and clothes folded in the nightstand drawer, and pulled the curtain shut.

The nurse left him to his privacy and went back to his office. He slipped his shirt off, his lean, pale torso almost glowing in the sunlight from the windows. He had just slipped the hospital pajama pants off and was standing in his white boxers when he heard the doors open and saw a silhouette on the other side of the curtain, approaching.

A shaky voice called out.

"Draco?"

The shadow's hand reached to pull back the curtain.

"Wait!" he yelped. He pulled his pajama pants back on. "Okay, I'm decent." The curtain slid open to reveal Hermione. She was sickly white, and her hands were shaking. She stared incredulously at the pile of clothes at his feet and slid upwards to his slimly muscled torso and to the large poultice. A flush spread over her cheeks and she turned around.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." she said quietly. She headed for the doors. He trotted forward, forgetting his half-nakedness and grabbed her wrist.

"What's the matter?" he asked. Hermione just looked at him. Confusion was swimming in her eyes. "Hermione, what is the matter?" he asked, a little more forcefully. _We're slowly moving towards a first name basis, apparently. It's better than arguing, I suppose.'_ Draco led her to the chair at his bedside.

"Your friends. They... they had a chat with me today after I left." she began. Draco's eyes narrowed in anger. _I should've known. Pansy did this. Crabbe and Goyle, too, perhaps. They're pretty stupid, though, I doubt they could've done much._

"It was Pansy, wasn't it?" he asked. She nodded.

"And Crabbe and Goyle." she added. _There we are, I was right. Why didn't I try and stop them? _ Draco internally hit himself. Another voice came into the conversation, a hissing, sly voice. _**But you didn't know what they were going to do. You couldn't have done anything.** Yes I could've. **You can't stop them at anything. **I know. It might be a bad sign if I'm conversing with voices in my mind, but I'll ignore it for now. What did they do to her? **She's obviously upset. Pansy doesn't like it that you hang around Hermione more often now. **The feast was only yesterday. It's been one day since Hermione brought me up here and- **There you go again, calling her by her first name. **I know, I know. Anyway, it's been less than 24 hours since we arrived at school. **Yes, but you neglected them over the summer.** I was busy, alright? Trying to avoid being branded with the Dark Mark, avoid being killed because I'm avoiding getting the Dark Mark, and getting increasingly worried that my spillings of dark activity to Dumbledore and the Order will be found out has sort of eaten up my time. **Well, I can see why they're upset. They are a touchy bunch.** Yes, I've noticed tha- _

"Draco? Are you listening?" Hermione asked. Draco had a far-off look on his face. As she spoke, it snapped him out of his reverie.

"Oh, yes. Sorry."

Thanks for reading!

_Charlotte_


	7. Freedom

**Chapter 7**

**Freedom**

Draco watched as Hermione calmed down, still shaken from her encounter.

"Um, could you hold on for just a moment?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded and sat on his bed as he pulled the curtain shut around him once more. After he had finished dressing, he opened the curtain again and grinned.

"Ta-da!" A small smile flickered onto Hermione's face. Draco internally smacked himself. _Ta-da? What is wrong with me today? I think that last dose of medicine has gone to my head._

"What? I don't see the surprise." she said.

"I'm free today! I can walk out right now." Draco said with an air of victory. "In fact, I feel a dance coming on." He began to do a small victory dance when he bumped into the pole of the curtain and doubled over in pain.

"Draco, are you alright? You need to be more careful." Hermione jumped to her feet and bent over him with a worried look. He rolled his eyes and slowly straightened up.

"I'm fine. Now, I believe I have some freedom to experience." Draco grinned. He strode to the doors and beckoned to her. "Well, are you coming or not? I've no idea where the dorm is." Hermione picked up her bags and followed him, a half-smile playing on her lips.

"Freedom sounds good to me."

_+++++Meanwhile, in the dungeons...+++++_

"What are you doing here, Weasley?" Blaize asked with a slight sneer. Ginny glared at him as she closed the Potions room door and surveyed the seating. There were 3 Slytherins and a Hufflepuff, all of them at separate tables. She had a choice of sitting next to Blaize or sitting at the front table as close to Snape as she could possibly get. She chose the seat next to Blaize.

"I'm here for the Saturday Advanced Potions class. Why are you here?" Blaize's eyes widened slightly before settling into a narrowed glare.

"Same reason. Don't know how you managed to get into this class, short of bribing Dumbledore. You're only a 5th year." Blaize sneered.

"Apparently I have incredible talent." she smirked.

"We'll see about that." Blaize said. Professor Snape came out of his office and sat at his desk.

"Open your books to page 382 and follow the instructions carefully. You will be making a strong sleeping draught, the Peregrin Poppy Potion. One step out of line and everything will be wasted. Get to work." Ginny turned to her cauldron and began to strain a clump of sopping gillyweed. Blaize grabbed his own and matched her pace. As she threw it into her cauldron and began chopping beetroot, she gave Blaize a small smirk.

"You want a contest, then, Zabini?" she whispered. He grinned.

"You're on, Weasley. First one finished with the best remark from Snape wins." he muttered, keeping an eye on Snape to see if their conversation had been detected over the bubbling and hissing of the cauldrons.

"Wins what, exactly?" Ginny asked.

"I'll figure it out as I go." Blaize answered. Snape's gaze snapped to their table.

"Mr. Zabini, Miss Weasley, is there a problem?" he asked with a glare. Blaize and Ginny both shook their heads and quickly returned to their tasks silently, shooting each other smirks as they worked.

"Hello, Leonard. This is Draco Malfoy. You know, the Slytherin Head Boy?" Hermione asked. Leonard gave her a conspiratorial wink.

"Password, please." he grinned. Draco looked expectantly at Hermione.

"Well, say the password, Granger." he said impatiently. Hermione stifled a giggle.

"Godric Gryffindor is my hero." she said. Leonard nodded, still grinning, and the portrait swung open. She climbed through and turned to see Draco still in the hallway, staring at her with a look of incredulous horror.

"You were serious." he said faintly. "You were bloody serious."

"Hurry up before Leonard-" Hermione started, but was cut off as the portrait suddenly closed. Hermione giggled as she heard Leonard, who was trying not to laugh, ask Draco for the password.

"That's not fair! She just said it!" Draco complained.

"Password, please." Leonard stated again. Draco looked around nervously in the corridor. Satisfied that no one was around to hear him he muttered under his breath, "Godric Gryffindor is my hero."

"What was that?" Leonard asked, smirking. Draco glared at him and mumbled it again.

"Look, you'll have to speak up quite a bit." Leonard said. Hermione slapped a hand over her mouth and shook with silent laughter, imagining the look of terror on Draco's face, as she put her ear up against the portrait to listen.

"GODRIC GRYFFINDOR IS MY BLOODY HERO!" Draco shouted just as Lavendar passed the end of the corridor.

"Wow, Draco, I didn't know you were a closet Gryffindor lover. Wait until Paravati hears this!" Lavendar giggled. Draco's eyes widened in fear.

"No, don't, I- Oh, bloody hell." Draco said as Lavendar scurried off to tell anyone she could find that Draco Malfoy loved Gryffindor.

"Okay, mate, in you go." Leonard chuckled. Suddenly, Hermione let out a yelp of surprise as she tipped forward and crashed into the hallway carpet. The portrait had swung open while she had still been leaning against it.

"I swear, you are bloody insane." Draco said as he stuck his hand out. Hermione stared at it confusedly.

"What, what are you staring at? Take it." Draco rolled his eyes as she blinked a few times and took his hand. Pulling her up, Draco stepped through the portrait hole and surveyed it. Hermione was still just outside the portrait hole. _That was new. Oh, get over it, he was just helping._ Hermione rolled her eyes at herself and stepped inside, ignoring the electricity she had felt as he had grabbed her hand that was still tingling across her skin.

"DONE!" Ginny shouted triumphantly, nearly knocking her stool over in her excitement as she held her vial of completed potion aloft. Blaize quickly threw the last of the ingredients into his cauldron and stirred rapidly, trying to finish before Snape had a chance to scrupulate Ginny's potion.

"Ah, Miss Weasley. Thank you, but I do not believe we all need a play-by-play of your progress." Snape scoffed, taking the vial and inspecting it closely. Ginny flushed and sat down.

"Well, Miss Weasley, I'm surprised to say that-" Snape began, Ginny looking on eagerly, but he was cut off by a large explosion.

"That's your room, there's mine, and there's a large bathroom in the middle." Hermione said, pointing to each. Draco nodded. It was acceptable enough. Opening his bedroom door, he smiled and sank into the soft green velvet of his bed, his bag abandoned on the floor.

Hermione was sprawled across one of the chaises, a large book in hand, when Draco came into the common room.

"I'm going to the dungeons to see Sev- erm, Professor Snape." Draco said. Hermione marked her place in her book and stood up.

"Mind if I come with you? Well, part of the way, at least. I'd like some air." she asked.

"Uh, sure." Draco answered. They climbed through the portrait hole, Draco throwing Leonard a dirty look before they started down the corridor. Draco hung back a little, lest they bump into one another; he was still trying to ignore the electricity that had shot up his arm as he had grabbed her hand.

As they passed the 6th floor, Hermione saw Ron on the staircase just below them.

"Ron!" she shouted, waving. He grinned and waved back.

"Where's Ginny?" she shouted.

"She's in the Saturday Advanced Potions class in the dungeons. Never would've thought it, huh?" Ron yelled back.

"Thanks! Oh, I'll see you at dinner tonight! Bye!" Hermione shouted quickly as their staircase swung to the left and Ron was out of sight.

"I guess we're going to the same place." Hermione said to Draco, who shrugged. _It'll be harder than I thought to talk to Severus alone with Hermione along. **You're calling that girl by her first name again.** I'm sick of talking to you. It's creepy enough talking to myself, but having conversations with my conscience is worse.And don't you think I realize it by now? She's not too bad. Bossy, a know-it-all, and excruciatingly goody-goody, but not too bad. She did drag me up here by herself when I passed out. **I'm just saying, you're getting awfully chummy. **We are not. Now go away. _Draco scowled to himself.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, yes, sorry. Just...thinking." Draco replied. They were suddenly at the dungeon doors. Somehow his feet had taken him there of their own accord whilst he had been fighting with his conscience. _At least I didn't fall off the stairs or anything._ Opening a door, Draco slipped into the dank darkness and beckoned to Hermione, who followed him, the door slamming shut and echoing through the passage.

As Draco opened the Potions door, a puff of lavendar smoke floated into the hallway around their feet. Hermione saw the horrified expression on Draco's face and joinedd him in the doorway.

"Oh...my..."

---------------------

Thanks for reading!

_Charlotte_


	8. In Which Ron Continues To Be An Arse

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I probably wouldn't be sitting here writing HP fanfiction because I would know what happened next anyway.

**Pairings: **Draco/Hermione, Blaise/Ginny

**Summary: **Blaise wakes up to a nasty surprise. Hermione and Ron fight. Ginny offends Hermione, and Blaise schemes.

**In Which Ron Continues To Be An Unmitigated Arse**

Blaize's eyes fluttered open.

"W-where am I?"

"In the Hospital Wing." The reply startled him, and he saw that Ginny was in a bed to his left.

"What happened?" he asked groggily, sitting up and stretching.

"You tried to finish your potion too quickly and didn't stir 7 times clockwise before adding the mirthwood. It exploded. You and I were closest to the cauldron and got the worst of it. We've been asleep for a week." Ginny's eyes narrowed dangerously as she finished. Blaize's mouth dropped open.

"A week?" he asked in disbelief. It was then that he noticed the open books spread across her blankets and the quill in her hand. She motioned to his right. Turning, he stared, horrified, at the large pile of books threatening to topple off of his bedside table.

"Homework." Ginny grinned wryly. Blaize moaned and took the first book off the pile; Charms. The assignments he had missed were written on a piece of parchment stuck inside the front cover.

"Ahh, you're awake." Madame Pompfrey said.

"So, can I leave?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I'm sorry, dear. A few of your classmates tried leaving directly after waking, and, well..." Madame Pompfrey motioned to three beds near the other end of the room; all 3 occupants featured various bandages and slings.

"They all suffered fits of narcolepsy." the nurse explained as Blaize cast her a confused look. "Hannah fell down a flight of stairs and broke her arm, Gregory fell into a crate of angry Fire-Breathing Snorkblasts and Emily fell asleep during Potions, ironically, and got a facefull of InstaWart Potion."

"So...no stairs, Snorkblasts or Potions? I can live with that." Blaize grinned. The nurse chuckled.

"You're staying put."

-_-_10 minutes later-

"Hey, Weasley." Blaize said.

'What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Potions homework. I loathe essays." Ginny glared at the parchment.

"I can help...if you give me something in return." Blaize raised an eyebrow.

"Like what?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrow as well. He grinned.

"Pervert." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I meant!" Blaize sighed.

"Then what did you mean?" Ginny asked.

"About the Draco and Granger problem."

-

"They did what?" Ron shouted angrily. Madame Pince shot an agry warning look towards them, but Ron didn't notice. His freckled cheeks were flushed and he stood, hitting his fist on the table for emphasis. Hermione rolled her eyes. She had gotten over it. She knew Ron would react this way...

"It's over, okay?" Hermione said. "Can we just do our homework now?" she asked, nervously opening her Transfiguration book. Now Harry stood. His deep green eyes were narrowed, and Hermione could see concern behind the hatred there.

"No, we can't do our homework, Hermione. You were assaulted."

"You're making it out to be bigger than it is." she retorted. Harry took a deep breath and sat down. Ron remained standing, giving her an incredulous look.

"Why are you so calm?" he asked, anger still tainting his voice. "This is Malfoy's fault, I know it is."

"Oh, and you know everything, don't you?" Hermione said. She was getting angry.

"How can you defend that nasty little ferret? He's done nothing but taunt you and try to kill Harry since the first day here. He's a Death Eater, probably. And you've been getting chummy with him. That's what really confuses me. I bet it's some sort of trap, and he's just using you to get to Harry! Pansy was right, for once. You shouldn't be hanging around him." Ron was shouting again.

"Shut up!" Hermione stood and yelled in Ron's face. He looked taken aback.

"Keep your nose out of my business. It's not as if I'm joining You-Know-Who, I'm just talking to him. It's a little hard to avoid, you know, since we share a dorm. We're not going to elope or anything, okay? Stop acting as if you know everything there is to know about it and don't you dare tell me who I can and cannot speak to. In fact, I'll make it easier for you; as of now, I am not speaking to you." She slammed the book in front of her shut and picked up her things.

Ron grabbed her hand.

"Hermione, what is the matter with you? I'm trying to help! I'm trying to understand why you're stabbing Harry and I in the back!" Ron shouted.

"Ron, do not get me in the middle of this." Harry said angrily, storming from the library past several confused 3rd years, who peeked around the bookcases to watch the fight. Hermione jerked her hand from Ron's grip.

"Bite me." she said. Slamming several books down onto a table next to Madame Pince, she ran from the library, ignoring the librarian's angry screeches about the treatment of her precious books and nearly tripping as she flew up the stairs, holding back the tears threatiening to burst forth.

-

"You're not seriously expecting me to do that."

"It's not that hard, if she's really your best friend, she'll understand." Blaize said matter-of-factly.

"I am not going to-" Ginny was cut off by the Hospital door flying open. Hermione dropped her things onto the floor next to Ginny's bed and sat down, swiping at her eyes.

"Your brother is an unmitigated arse and a git and a nosy, bossy...nosy jerk!"

"Oh, no, Mione, what did he do this time?" Ginny asked.

"I t-told Harry and Ron about the Slytherins assaulting me in the c-corridor, and they got angry, and I told them to calm down, and Ron was yelling at me that I was getting chummy with Draco," Hermione sniffed, Ginny's eyebrows raising slightly at the use of Malfoy's first name, "and that it must be a trap and Pansy was right, and that I was stabbing him and Harry in the back!" Hermione finished, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. Blaize watched on with mild interest, realizing that it would be harder than he thought for Ginny to carry out the plan, simple as it may have been.

"I'm sorry, Mione. Come here." Ginny pulled Hermione into a hug. As Hermione sat down again, Ginny cast a 'I told you so' look at Blaize.

"Ron is stupid, just ignore him. And Harry..."

"Harry wasn't really that mad at me, just at those Slytherins for threatening me. He's mad at Ron as well." Hermione said.

"Well, at least we have that on our side. Ron can't rope Harry's support into his argument now." Ginny sighed. Blaize cleared his throat meaningfully, and Ginny shot him an angry look before taking a breath and turning back to Hermione. "But maybe if you backed off of Malfoy a little..." she began. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Great, here we go." Hermione scoffed. "What is the problem? As I told Ron, it's not like we're going to elope or anything. We share a dorm, it's a little unavoidable, and we are NOT getting chummy." Hermione stood up and gathered her things. "Goodnight. 'Night to you too, Zabini." she nodded to Blaize, who nodded back. Ginny waited for the Hospital door to shut all the way before cursing under her breath.

"My stupid brother. Now she's upset, and she thinks I'm on Ron's side. I blame you." Ginny said the last part pointedly at Blaize.

"Don't look at me, I'm not a ventriloquist. You said it of your own accord. I just...prodded." Blaize stated airily.

"Well, stop prodding. I'm not going to get wrapped up in this."

"I'm worried about Draco."

"What could you possibly be worrying about?" Ginny asked.

"His reputation."

"Ahh, I knew it." Ginny glared at him.

"Not that way. I don't particularly care. He's my only good friend, and has been so since kindergarten. It's the other Slytherins I'm worried about. They'll tear him apart." Blaize said softly. Ginny's gaze relaxed as she saw concern creep onto Blaize's features.

"Their Prince is breaking a huge rule; associating himself with a Gryffindor outside of duels. He's been neglecting them, in their eyes anyway. Their leader has stooped to a new low and they can't take it. I'm afraid of how they might take it out on him; the alienation and rude remarks he'll be able to handle when it starts, but some of the others might handle their anger in more violent ways."

"What do you propose to do, then?" Ginny asked.

"Let me sleep on it." Blaize sighed. _It's strange how easy conversation comes with the Weaslette. She's not so hard to talk to. Maybe I can talk to Granger myself...Draco won't listen to me, I know that much_. Blaize turned away from the lamplight and slowed his breathing, but his eyes remained open, staring thoughtfully at the sliver of moon he could see through the window closest to his bed.

Ginny flicked the lamp off and pulled the covers to her chin. _Blaize- I mean, Zabini, is really worried about Malfoy...it's not that bad, really. Hermione's right, they're just talking, it's nothing big. It's just the first time any of us have really talked civilly for extended periods of time to a Slytherin, and with Draco Malfoy, no less. I still can't forgive him for the Mudblood comments, but besides that, I don't know him...perhaps Hermione sees something that we don't. _

Ginny sighed. _I'm too tired to think about this._ And with that, she slipped into sleep.

-

The portrait banged open, making Draco jump and drop his History of Magic book. Grumbling, he found his place again as Hermione clambered through the portrait hole and angrily swept into her room. Her books hit the floor, thunk, a creak as she flopped onto her bed, thump thump as her shoes were kicked off of her feet, and a muffled screaming rippled through the common room.

Draco jerked her door open. Hermione looked up from the pillow she had been screaming into, her face flushed and her hair slightly more wild than usual.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I heard screaming." Draco said, leaning against the door frame.

"That's right. I was screaming into my pillow to save your precious eardrums." Hermione said sarcastically. Draco smirked.

"I'm touched. My eardrums are quite valuable." he joked.

"Oh, shut up, Malfoy." Hermione said, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards a little before she sighed and put her face back in her pillow. _Ron is such an idiot. But I don't know why I let him upset me so much. I guess I'm just a little stressed right now._ Hermione shivered a little, feeling strange. Like someone was watching her. Lifting her face up, she saw that Draco was gazing at her with a strange look, like he was contemplatin something.

"What do you want?" she asked a little more harshly than intended.

"Why were you screaming?" he asked. Hermione sighed.

"I'm just...I got into a fight with Ron, not that it's any of your business, really." she said. Draco's eyebrows raised a little with mild interest. _That would explain the slamming and screaming. I wonder what that idiot has said this time. He can never keep his mouth shut, the hot-headed weasel._ Draco decided that relaying these thoughts would help in some way.

"What did that idiot say this time? Hot-headed weasel doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut." Draco scoffed. He was surprised to see Hermione give him an angry look as she brushed her hair out of her face. The red had faded mostly from her cheeks, leaving a pretty shade of pink across her face, and her dark brown eyes sparkled with remnants of tears. Despite her hair, which was sticking out at strange angles, Draco noted that she looked slightly...dare he say it, pretty. _**You are NOT having these thoughts about Hermione Granger.** Great, just what I need, another conversation with the stupid voice in my head. I think I should be worried, but it's got a point. ** Yes, I do.** Oh, shut up. You have to admit...as cliche as it sounds, Hermione's pretty when she's angry. **That's it, you need therapy. **I do NOT. I realize that having conversations inside my head with an disembodied voice is odd, but I am NOT going to a shrink. **Suit yourself, loverboy. You used her first name again. **Shut up. Go annoy someone else. **I can't, I'm your conscience. **Damn._

"Don't talk about Ron like that. He can be a little hot-headed sometimes, but don't call him Weasel." she said.

"Sorry. Tell him not to call me Ferret and we'll be even." Hermione smirked at that.

"I can still call you Ferret, though." she said. Draco snorted. "But it'd be hard to tell him, as I'm not speaking to him right now." she continued.

"Why not?"

"I don't see why you care, but... I told Harry and Ron about Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy accosting me in the corridor last Saturday and they got angry. I told them to calm down, and Harry did for the most part, but Ron took it to new levels. He was yelling at me that I'm getting...chummy with you, and that he thinks I must be insane to talk to you. He also said, basically, that Pansy was right to threaten me and that I was stabbing him and Harry in the back by speaking to you civilly...if that's the word for whatever we have. I wouldn't call it friendship." Hermione said. Draco shrugged.

"I suppose it's just a civility, a peace of sorts. It's not bad. Saves me the trouble of thinking up new insults." Draco grinned.

"Oh, yes, you had a wonderful array. Mudblood, Mudblood, Know it All, and Mudblood." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Back to your story." Draco said.

"Oh, and Ron called you a nasty little ferret." Hermione said, a small grin creeping onto her face.

"How dare h-"

"Don't start, I don't want to talk about HIM right now. I'm sick of him." Hermione said, putting her face back into her pillow. Draco struggled to take his gaze away from her and took a deep breath, preparing himself for a new level of civility.

"Well, if you, uhmm, need to talk about anything, you can come to me, I guess. But not all the time. And don't expect to be able to cry on my shoulder or anything." Draco said quickly before closing the door. Hermione sat up and stared at the closed door. Confused thoughts flew through her mind as she threw her jeans onto the floor of her closet and pulled on a pair of oversized black pajama pants and tied her hair back into a messy bun.

Picking up a large book from her floor, some parchment and a quill, she slipped quietly into the common room and sat at a mahogany desk near one of the large bookcases that she hadn't noticed when she first saw the dormitory, keeping her gaze trained on Draco. He was leaning against one of the dark blue armchairs near the fireplace, the fire crackling loudly as his eyes ran quickly down the lines he read.

She saw his gaze flicker up to her as the chair she sat in squeaked a little and quickly turned her attention to her book, pretending that he hadn't just caught her watching him. Picking up the quill, she began to write where she had left off on her Defense against the Dark Arts essay,- Kingsley, the auror, was their new teacher, and a good one at that -the only sounds in the room the crackling from the fireplace, the occaisional crinkling of a page being turned, and the quill scratching against the parchment.

Hermione wasn't really thinking about the essay; her hand was writing words while her mind contemplated different words said by the solemn boy on the other side of the room.

For the second time, Hermione tried desperately to forget the electricity she had felt as their gazes locked.

- REVIEWS -

**pinkicing101:** this story is pretty good so far. can't wait till your next update!

_Thanks! Neither can I. ;_

**HeLl HaVe No FuRy LiKe A wOmAn:** O Its starting to heat up between Drakie and Hermy hehehe Love the name of the chapter Bloody stroke of genius and I like the interaction youve got going between Blaise and Ginny somehting seems to be going on ther ; Oh now I cant wait for the next chapter your an evvil author making me sit glued to my comp screen when I should be studying for my gawd blimey A Level ; Oh well Love the story loads and loads : : : : : 

_Thanks! Hehe, I'm evillll. _

**xx.just. hey, great story! i dont normally like hermione/draco stories (they annoy me), but this one's actually really really good! you have me converted lol Keep up the good work! Ash xx**

_Yes!! Now I'm converting people! WOOT! I love Hermione/Draco, it's odd, I just can't stop writing with that ship. : Thanks so much!_

**meenajon**: good chapter. Keep it up!

_Thanks!_

**Golden Angel71**: I LOVE IT! PLZ UPDATE SOON!

_Oh, wow! Thanks!_

**meenajon: **good job there...off I go now...

_Uh, thanks! Again!_

Thanks to all my reviewers:

pinkicing101, HeLl HaVe No FuRy LiKe A wOmAn, xx.just. Golden Angel71, meenajon (x2)

_Charlotte_


	9. Green, And Not Just With Envy

**Announcement!** : Because I do not want to lose all the great reviews you all have left me, I will not delete this story for constructional purposes. I will be doing a bit of editing on all or, more likely, most, of the chapters, and Chapter 10 is coming very very soon! With my editing I've planned the chapters are sure to be much, much longer. My writing style has changed a little in Chapter 10 and I'd like to do the same to the other chapters, though I won't be changing any major plot points. Enjoy!

-Lena-

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I probably wouldn't be sitting here writing HP fanfiction because I would know what happened next anyway.

**Pairings: **Draco/Hermione, Blaise/Ginny

**Summary: **Hermione yells at Ron, while Draco argues with his conscience again. Hermione is starting to feel the effects of her stress and pays a visit to the Hospital Wing for some rest. Ginny and Hermione find out something very interesting about Draco.

**Green (And Not Just With Envy)**

"I thought I told you to leave me alone!" Hermione yelled.

"Miss Granger, ten points from Gryffindor. Now, return to your seat." Snape hissed. Hermione angrily returned to her seat, gillyweed in hand.

Hermione had walked into Potions that Monday full of anxiety. She wasn't sure what to expect from Ron and Harry (though Harry had smiled at her at breakfast and asked her how she was), and she dreaded finding out. If it would be anything like what happened in the library, she didn't want to be upset again. Gritting her teeth, she marched in. Harry gave her a small smile, which she returned, but Ron pointedly ignored her. His bookbag was in the empty seat between them.

She looked around. There was a seat next to Hannah Abbott, a few in the back, though she wasn't keen on sitting all the way back there...then, Hermione saw a motion from the other side of the room and her eyes widened in surprise before narrowing as her mouth settled into a smirk. Sweeping past Ron with a small toss of her hair off her shoulder, she took the seat next to Draco, who was internally smacking himself. _Why the billio did I wave?? **Because you're an idiot loverboy? **Shut up, you prat. **Ha. I'm your conscience. That makes you a prat as well. **Expletive deleted conscience. **Whoa. Using big words now, huh?** I will bring you to life and throttle you. When I figure out how, that is. **I won't hold my breath.** You have no breath. HA! **Well played. **_

Draco had shaken himself from another one of his conversations with his own conscience and concentrated on the potion on the board. He noticed that they needed more gillyweed. Hermione had beaten him to it.

"I'll go get more." she said. _Like she knew what I was thinking. _Draco had thought. _That's an odd feeling. Well, great minds think alike. **Your mind is not great. Believe me, I live there. **One more word, and I'll... Oh, shut up. **Nicely put. Oh, and by the way, you complimented her again. **Psht. How? **You called her a great mind. Technically. **Blast!_

Hermione had gotten up to retrieve the gillyweed from the student stock cabinet, and felt something hit her leg as she passed Ron and Harry's table. Looking down, she had seen a note and picked it up, unfolding it and reading it behind the cabinet door. There was one word.

"Traitor."

Hermione had felt a sick sensation flooding her, and she could feel tears starting to gather. _Keep it together. I can't get stressed over this._ But the word 'Traitor' just kept echoing in her head. She felt her eyes narrow in rage, and unconsciously felt her body take her to Ron's table, and that's when she had yelled at him, splattering some gillyweed juice on the floor as she squeezed the gillyweed in anger.

Ron simply glared into his cauldron.

Sitting down next to a slightly impressed-looking Draco, Hermione shot Snape's turned back a dirty look before taking out her wand, holding up the note. She met Harry's eyes, who looked sympathetic.

"There's your answer, idiot." Harry said, pointing to Hermione. Ron reluctantly looked towards her. His jaw dropped.

That's when she set the note on fire.

Two Weeks Later

Hermione sighed into her bedcovers. It had been three weeks since the Potions incident. After she had set the note on fire, she had dropped it on the table, leaving it to smolder, and gathered her things. She muttered something about needing to go to the Hospital Wing to Snape, who had just noticed her little pyrotechnical experiment now leaving scorch marks on his perfect tables, and swept out the door.

Tears were gathering at her eyes again.

Letting a few of them spill, she wiped them away quickly and hurried to the Hospital Wing. Blaize and Ginny had gotten released that morning, so Hermione was alone. She told Madame Pompfrey that she was a dizzy and felt like she was going to throw up, she let the nurse herd her to a bed. Hermione had stayed there the rest of the day, slipping into the kitchens and getting a roll from Dobby for a snack during dinner rather than having to face the crowded dinner hall.

Slipping the roll, plus a few cookies and pumpkin juice Dobby had hastily poured into an empty bottle and insisted she take, into her bag, she had hurried up the stairs to the dorm, the sounds of the dinner hall emptying not far behind her.

Leonard had graciously allowed her in, and she had taken refuge in her room, lying on her bed and nibbling on her miniature feast while finishing an essay for Arithmancy.

Hermione had bolted up, slightly skewing her notes around the bed, as someone knocked.

"Come in." she called. Ginny had slipped in and closed the door.

"Hey, Mione. How are you?" she asked. Hermione had shrugged.

"I feel a little better now that I've gone so long without talking to Ron. He hasn't given me any more notes since I set his last on one fire." Hermione had smirked at this.

"I heard about that. I'm sorry my brother is such an idiot, Mione..." Ginny had begun.

"It's alright, you can't help that he's your brother." The girls had grinned.

"Also...I never apologized. You know, about the Hospital Wing. I just wanted you and Ron to reconcile a bit. I hate seeing you upset, and that prat does nothing but grumble about you and Malfoy."

"It's fine, Gin. I overreacted." Hermione said, and had handed Ginny a cookie from the stash Dobby had shoveled into her bookbag before she could escape the kitchens and his sweet but slightly over-the-top generosity.

"I'm just kind of stressed, what with Ron, being Head Girl, all this homework..." Hermione had sighed into the blankets.

"Our first Hogsmeade trip is in three weeks from this Saturday! I can't wait for it to get here. You and I will go shopping and forget the stupid boys." Ginny had declared, holding the cookie up triumphantly.

"Speaking of boys..." Hermione had said, grinning, and pointed to the shadow under the door that led from Hermione's room to the huge joint bathroom.

Ginny, grinning like mad, had crept to the door, and Hermione had moved next to her giggling silently. On cue, Ginny yanked the door open.

Their screams echoed througout the entire 7th floor of the castle and escaped through Hermione's open window.

Hermione had giggled now, as she sat in her room doing Runes homework, remembering that sight that she and Ginny had been made to swear not to reveal to anyone on punishment of being dangled upside down in the Great Hall so everyone got a good glimpse of their knickers and then killed slowly and painfully.

Draco Malfoy, as many of the Gryffindor girly prats giggled, looked quite fit in green...

Apparently, as Hermione now knew, avocado masks were definitely the exception.

_+++++REVIEWS!+++++_

**fuzzballnpumpkin:** Wow, I really enjoyed it, loved it!  
_Thanks!  
_  
**I-read-2-much:** draco avocado mask oh my

_Ha!  
_**  
xx.just. hehehe... i always knew he was a pretty boy. haha nah... ill leave poor draco alone now... hahahahha**

_Draco: Damn right.  
Me: Oh, hush. You are a pretty boy. Don't even make me mention the Cher incident.  
Draco: Don't you dare.  
Me: I promised I wouldn't mention that time I found you dancing to Cher in a long blonde wig, so don't spaz. laughs  
Draco: chases AHHHHHH! I KEEL YOU!!_

_Thanks for the review!!  
_

**Secretly-In-Love:** Ahahahahahaha thats funny keep it up... i cant wait to read the next chapter

_Thanks!  
_

**Broken Crayon Dreams:** Oh My God!! Draco... avocado mask... lol Great update, loved it. -Katie

_Thanks! Haha!  
_

**ya1ya:** update! so funny!!

_Thanks! Woot, so many reviews...-dances-  
_

**dancrchick**: very good... i really enjoy it. And i like that blaise isn't awful as he and draco are my favorite slytherins. Good job. Update soon

_Oh, thanks! Yeah I lurve Blaise as well. He's so scrumptious.  
Blaise: Please stop referring to me like I'm a carrot or a bag of crisps or something.  
Me: Awww. hugs  
Blaise: twitches Must...resist...hugging...powers...meep...  
_

**fierysoulgirl**: You've got a good story over here. I am really enjoying it. You've got the perfect balance of humor and seriousness, it definitely is making out for a pleasant story. I can't wait until you update this fiction again. PLEASE DO IT SOON! Kthx. :)

_Wow! Thanks!! I don't remember seeing your name in the reviews before, are you a new reader? If so, I'm glad you still like it even after the chapter 5 fiasco!!  
_

**dancrchick**: aren't head boy and girl in 7th year, not 6th? anyway, it sounds good so far.

_Thanks again! Oh, btw, this is a review from the first chapter, I am randomly putting it up because I am odd.  
_

**pinkicing101:** that's pretty funny. who would've thought that draco would do something like that? anyways, can't wait for your next update. and just for a note, i think that hermione and draco are getting a little too chummy with each other.

_Thanks! That's the point, it's not going to be pretty in the next few chapters as a result of their chummy...ness. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN... thunder crash_

_Draco: Turn off the soundboard, that thing is so annoying.  
Me: presses button "DUN DUN DUNNNN!" Haha.  
Draco: sighs  
_

**ShortStuff10**: O I like this story! Read all the chapters in about 20 minutes I was so engrossed! I'm also amazed at your ability to update so much... I'm a lazy updater. Keep on writing! -ShortStuff10

_Thanks! Wow! It's engrossing! That is kind of a...gross (haha) sounding word, but woot!  
_

**diannelora:** Great work!

_Thanks!  
_  
**pobrediabla**: hi! I read the whole story, and I liked it very much! actually I have only one request: please don't make ron rap e hermione, ok?:)that would be too OOC, and that's a nasty thing.I just say it because many writers do this. keep writing it!

_Yeah, I'm not much of a Rapist!Ron person. I hate that. Ron wouldn't do that. Thanks for reading! _

**Esmerald tears**: Goodness... I LOVE THIS! I love how you've portrayed the characters. I love how Hermione burnt Ron's note. I love how Draco's slowly falling in love with her. YAY! I hope that the tenth chap comes soon enough!!

_Wow! Thanks! The tenth chapter is coming soon, I've just got to do a little editing before I post it. Thanks so much!  
_

**Hermione-Potter-52036**: lol :P avacado mask! ha, i was dying when i read that! please update soon! HermionePotter52036

_Haha! Thanks.  
_

**slytherinqueen23**: great story keep writing! cant wait for u to update! 

_Thanks!  
_

**xx.just. haha, thanks for your little reply thing-o, it made me feel special... (draco, you are a pretty boy - end of story dear.) awesome chapter - ron is such an arse. Love it! Ash xx**

_You are welcome, and thanks!!_

**hplovrgrlbabydee-vine**: ok how can i say this? have u ever read the stories or even seen the movies?? u cant bcome headboy/grl till SEVENTH YEAR!! n she punched him in 3rd year not 4th. i like ur plot tho n am i rite or did his dad rape him?...ew...Thumbs up on that original so far but plz get the stuff str8 frs. thnx

_I've read every book at least 3 times and seen all 4 of the movies. I own books 2, 5 and 6- well, actually, I had to get rid of the 2nd book because it got wet and got screwed up, so I own 5 and 6. I didn't realize you couldn't become a Head until 7th year. No need to CAPS LOCK. God. And I've already realized that I accidentally said 4th year instead of 3rd year, I've just been too lazy to fix it and keep forgetting to. Yeshhhh, Lucius (bastard) raped him and thanks for the thumbs up. _

**Thanks so much to my reviewers:** ShortStuff10, pinkicing101, dancrchick, fierysoulgirl, ya1ya, Broken Crayon Dreams, Secretly-In-Love, xx.just. I-read-2-much, fuzzballnpumpkin, diannelora, pobrediabla, Esmerald tears, HermionePotter52036, slytherinqueen23!, xx.just. && hplovrgrlbabydee-vine.

Mucho amor to you all, and have some choccie. hands out choc bars

_Charlotte_


	10. Beauty is Pain

**Beauty Is Pain**

**A/N: **This is sort of...fluff. But some deepness and larger words. It's a contrast to the previous chapters, it's my new writing style. Woot.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I probably wouldn't be sitting here writing HP fanfiction because I would know what happened next anyway.

**Pairings: **Draco/Hermione, Blaise/Ginny

**Summary: **Hermione injures herself with beauty products. Malfoy says something stupid...again. Deeposity abounds and the group departs for Hogsmeade alone after being left behind. Hermione has a trick up her sleeve.

"Hey, Draco, want to borrow my exfoliating cream next?" Hermione called out with a grin. She was pulling on her clothes for the trip to Hogsmeade. It was only October and already quite cold. There had even been a few fleeting snow flurries, unusual this early in the fall. The students going on the Hogsmeade trip had been talking of nothing for the past week in hushed, excited tones during classes and mealtimes.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, M- GRANGER!" Draco yelled from his room. Hermione felt her face fall slightly as she mentally prepared herself to hear the word "Mudblood", but her spirits rose slightly as he averted his insult. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she mused for a moment about the interactions they shared and the new civility that only seemed appropriate.

Recalling for a brief moment their ghastly fight in the carriage, she felt her heart rate escalate slightly as she experienced a brief moment of the terror she had felt that night. Hermione tipped backwards into the warm bedcovers, finding a focus point on the ceiling of her bedroom as she delved into the recess of her mind she had shoved the fight into.

As she looked back, she thought perhaps the uneasy and foreign way in which they now regarded each other was a result of pouring every ounce of hatred for each other out in those moments. She remembered every feeling of pain, hatred, inferiority, and awe he had ever induced in her by insulting her, shoving by her in the hallway, even looking at her across the tables at breakfast. It had gotten to the point where Hermione had considered throttling him. Over the summer, her lack of anything exciting prompted deep analyzation of every aspect of her relationships with the students at Hogwarts.

The first name that had popped into her head was Draco Malfoy. She had dislike for other students, of course, as was expected. Lavendar Brown struck a particular nerve with her, as did Zacharias Smith, and even Luna Lovegood, whose talent for blurting out whatever came to mind annoyed Hermione in how uncomfortable Luna could make someone without even noticing.

_"Well, Granger's got a spine this year."_

That was true to a point. Inferiority was one thing Hermione was sick of feeling. As 5 years of hatred had filled her to the brim, she had felt some dormant instinct come alive in her. Every snide comment that had sparked a small sadness in her as she stoically ignored the commenter had soured into anger, unearthing a bit of her teenage female instinct of catty defense.

_"You know, it really amazes me. After being in the same school with you for 5 years, enduring classes with you, seeing you out of school, and putting up with you seemingly everywhere I go, you haven't changed from the snotty little kid in the bookstore, who thought he was better than anyone else because his mommy and daddy told him so. You know what the truth is? You're a coward. You can't fight with anything but nasty names and- well, I shouldn't say magic, because you can only seem to use that properly in a fight when your opponent's back is turned!"_

A small smile formed on her mouth as pride rippled through her.

The few weeks she had spent at The Burrow came to mind. She had been sitting in the kitchen at six o'clock in the morning, watching the sun slowly brighten the sky, when a realization had come to her. Making peace. What better way to end the rivalry? At first, she had wondered if she was insane, thinking Malfoy would never speak to her without peppering the conversation with the array of insults he had probably practiced all summer.

As she had sat in the carriage with him, the hatred she had analyzed over the summer had welled up once more, spilling over in a frenzy to be recognized and shoved into his face.

_How long have I been here?_ Hermione sat up and felt a small panic rise in her at the thought of not looking acceptable for the Hogsmeade outing. She nearly laughed at herself as she realized how unlike her it was to be concerned about how she looked. Over the summer, not only had she awakened a fierce, catty side of her she never knew existed, but she had also realized that she was a teenage girl. With a tinge of disgust she had realized that even she felt a small need to be accepted by others, a sense of needing to impress upon people that she was not a pile of robes with hair.

A small feeling of jealousy had arisen as she watched other Hogwarts girls have boyfriends, and often she had pretended to re-read a book in the girls' dormitory while she was really listening in enviously on the chatter of the others about who snogged badly and what lipgloss smeared the least. She even felt slightly disconnected from Ginny in her inexperience.

_I haven't thought about things this clearly for a while. I never have much time to think about things in my own life...I should plan to have a good think-over of everything I can think of as often as possible. _Hermione smiled to herself.

Getting serious again, she turned to her closet. All her clothes were so practical. She decided she would be spontaneous and buy something in Hogsmeade that wasn't so..._her_. She pulled out a pair of long black pants and yanked them on. Sifting through her closet, she pulled out a white button-up shirt, gray vest and Gryffindor tie; the top bit of the school uniform.

Pulling it on, she looked in the mirror as she straightened her tie. _This is so... ME._ Hermione thought frustratedly. _**Well, of course it's "you", they're your clothes. **Who are you? **Your conscience. Don't you have anything that isn't so... you? **See, you're doing it too. **Blast.** I should be worried that I'm talking to a voice in my head, shouldn't I? **I'm harmless. Mostly. **You're right. This is boring. _

Her mother had nearly fainted in delight when, sometime in June, Hermione had asked to be taken shopping for new things. They had spent nearly 4 hours in shops, her mother sharing her opinion and slipping clothes she chose into her daughter's armfuls, gently arguing her points as to why it looked nice or not. Hermione had come home, exhausted, with a hefty load of new things.

As of yet, Hermione had been avoiding the new clothes, some mornings pulling them on and then changing her mind at the last minute, wondering if venturing out of the Head Dorm with something other than her easily overlookable ensembles would bring any new comments, good or bad, from her classmates.

Hermione tugged off the tie, vest and shirt and threw them in a pile next to her bed. She dug through her clothes. Her mother was thrilled to share with her all the new fashions flickering through the pages of the fashion section in the daily Muggle paper, and even more thrilled as she convinced her daughter to buy them.

While her mother was somewhat detached from Hermione's life as she lived at Hogwarts during the school year, she had one bond with her; shopping. As Mrs. Granger was a dentist and rarely had time at home, Summer and Christmas terms were heavenly. Mrs. Granger was an experienced shopper and delighted in involving herself in Hermione's life in any way, shopping being the easiest to accomplish with the short time they spent together and their variety of different interests. While Hermione was not very interested in fashion trends, she relented at the delight it gave her mother to experience the joys of having a girl to share shopping with.

She picked up a black sweater from the floor of her closet. The off-kilter neckline (that somewhat intimidated her) had slipped off the hanger. She also took out a blue three-quarter sleeve shirt and quietly scrutinzed them.

Hermione plucked the black sweater from the bed and pulled it on. Walking to the floor-length mirror positioned in one corner of her bedroom, she noticed how pale she looked in comparison to all the black she was wearing. Shedding the sweater, she reasoned that she should have all body parts covered due to the volatile weather. Glancing out the window, she saw that the sun was peeking out from behind clouds, casting a few hopeful rays on the land below, but she could see a layer of dark clouds lurking in the distance.

Pulling on the dark blue shirt, Hermione rifled through her closet until she found a gray sweater with a deep V-neck and two large fake-wood buttons near the top and pulled it on, leaving it unbuttoned. The deep blue showed through the crochet gray and the open neckline, meshing nicely with the sweater. Taking off her black corduroys, she pulled on a pair of dark denim jeans that the Muggle girls she knew wore constantly that were absurdly long on her and were ratty at the bottom from walking on the hems. She slipped her feet into her trainers and admired the effect.

_**Okay, you look gorgeous, now hurry up with the other part or you'll not have enough time.** Okay, okay, I'm getting to it. Simple is good. Simple..._

Her dark, bushy hair had calmed slightly, to her slight relief. It no longer gave her the appearance of wearing poodle fur with a perm. The frizzing had relented slightly and she had grown her fringe out to sweep out of her eyes. It helped that it no longer obstructed her reading **(A/N: haha)**. It was still as tangled and stubborn as ever, though. The women in her family had all endured the same hair, though as they grew older it softened into looser curls. Hers wasn't working fast enough.

Several relatives had chosen alternatives such as short cuts, curling irons, and a colorful array of hair products that had all been recommended to Hermione at every family gathering.

"Alright...time for the cavalry." she said out loud. She took a plastic bag from her desk and went into the bathroom. She carefully emptied the contents onto the marble counter and surveyed them. She picked up the ceramic hair straightener and looked at it warily before plugging it in. Waiting for it to heat up, Hermione stared into the mirror and picked up a strand of her bushy hair. It had already started to become the relaxed, even pretty, curls the women in her family had.

Picking up the straightener, she lifted a piece of hair and took a deep breath.

---

Draco nearly had a coronary as he heard a blood-curdling scream from the bathroom. Instinctively, he yanked open the door to see Hermione fanning her hair and whimpering.

"What are you doing in here?" Draco asked incredulously, putting only his head through the door as he was still in his pajamas. "Not that I, you know, CARE, but why were you screaming?" **(A/N: -sporfle-)**

"I was just trying to straighten my hair, and I put the straightener up by my roots like it said on the instructions and it burned the bloody hell out of my poor scalp!" she cried. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"What is that?" he said, pointing to the object of cruelty in her hand.

"It's a straightener. You know...straightens your hair." Hermione waved her hands around a little for emphasis.

"Muggle?"

"Muggle."

"Should've known. Bloody Muggle beauty stuff. Pansy's obsessed with it, she's got ads saved from magazines she nicked that she hides in my room. Her parents would have a fit. What YOU'RE doing with it, though, I don't know." he said, grimacing at the Muggle products.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked, anger touching her voice.

"If you're trying to make yourself prettier to impress The Weas- uhh, Ronald, " Draco said through gritted teeth, "it's not working." Hermione's face fell slightly as horrified tears welled up in her eyes against her will. She turned quickly to pretend they weren't there. Draco internally smacked himself again as he realized how cruel it had sounded. As his mind frantically tried to process the fact that he was angry with himself for hurting someone's feelings, and Hermione Granger's at that, he tried to come up with an explanation to stop her from looking at him that way.

A feeling of guilt rose in his chest. He hadn't felt that for years. He hadn't felt many things in a long time. He simply hadn't allowed himself. As a small child, the domineering presence of his father, Lucius Malfoy's way of making everything go the way he wanted it to, had lifted him to hero status in young Draco's eyes. It was only until he was 10, when he was educated about the actualities of his father's profession, dealings, and comrades that frequently visited. Draco was given the choice to join or not, and he felt overwhelmed and betrayed at the same time. His father was not a hero.

Draco was often punished for small wrongdoings, spilling the juice or leaving wet towels on the floor, with beatings and swift rage from his father, but Draco pushed his fear and hatred away, and accepted that his father must be doing it for a reason. He must deserve it.

When he had said no, the rage had come full force, leaving Draco with a few broken ribs and a nasty scar on his left hip. The feelings he had quelled for so long had come tumbling out in the dangerous silence after his father had told him that he did not have a choice. He had screamed, thrown things, and even went so far as to throw a punch at his father, which was, of course, blocked and viciously returned.

The relief that had flooded him afterwards as he healed and rested in bed for days on end had been overwhelming. Afterwards, he took the care to repress as much emotion as he could around his father, and in return, there were less chances for him to anger his father. Every year, the question to join the Dark Lord came again, and every year Draco said no, and somehow he managed to do so without invoking violence in Lucius Malfoy. It seemed as the Dark Lord gained power, Lucius lost his will to take out his frustrations on his son.

Only recently had Draco begun to endure the new kind of torture his father had discovered; sexual abuse. Verbal abuse and physical abuse were becoming scarce as Lucius toyed with the sexual aspect of torture. It gave him a power that screaming and hitting could not. Draco was ashamed, confused, and felt a hatred for himself awakening in the pit of his stomach when his father cornered him in his bedroom or winked at him across the breakfast table, daring him to tell Narcissa, who was seen more and more often clutching a glass of brandy that always refilled as quickly it was emptied. It was a secret he did not wish to disclose to anyone.

As he had carefully repressed emotions such as guilt, sadness, and pity over the years at Hogwarts, he had earned a high status, governing his peers as king, an example, cool, stoic and quick to take revenge. The small stream of guilt now threading it's way through his mind was a shock. His vulnerability wasn't expected and he heard himself try to form an explanation.

"I didn't mean that, I mean he's had his eye on that twittery one, Lavendar Brown, the looks he gives her in class are sickening, I just meant that the wizarding and witching world should leave Muggle chemicals alone, we've got magic, and, and, uh, I-" Draco fumbled. Hermione glowered at him in the reflection in the mirror.

"Don't you have some first years to torture before the Hogsmeade outing?" she asked tiredly, turning back to the mirror. Draco sighed and closed the door. Hermione huffed and unplugged the straightener. Time for Plan B. If it wouldn't straighten, she would have to help it along on it's journey to becoming the more tame curls her mother had. She pulled out a can of mousse and read the instructions before taking a deep breath once more, pointing, and spraying.

---

Draco pulled on a pair of black pants, a dark green sweater and his trainers. _Simple is good. **Dashing. I'm bored. **Too bad. **Do something interesting. **I am not going to entertain my conscience, which should not be so different then I am, no? It's odd. I'll just ignore you. **Oh, thanks.** You are welcome. **Sarcasm.** Right back at you. **...Touche.** _ Taking out a bottle of gel from his bedside table drawer that promised a "Natural Look", he squirted out a small amount on his hands, rubbed them together and ran them through his hair. He wiped the excess on the bath towel thrown on the floor, shook his head to loosen the strands and admired it in the mirror. _Ehh, natural enough._

Another ear-splitting shriek sounded from the bathroom. Draco resisted the urge to open the door and instead went into the common room, settling himself into a cushy armchair and staring absentmindedly into the fire.

A few moments later, the door to the bathroom opened slightly and a tentative voice called out, "Malfoy?"

"Yes, Granger?" he asked cautiously. He wasn't sure what feeling would come hurdling back to him next, and he was even more troubled by the fact that it was Hermione Granger who was slowly unearthing feelings he had tried so hard to bury. Smacking himself internally again, he reasoned with himself to stop feeling so much. It was annoying.

"Could you do me a favor?" Draco raised an eyebrow, wondering what she would ask of him.

"That depends."

---

"BLOODY HELL!"

"Will you keep it down, please?" Draco hissed. Ginny shot daggers at him as several students stared.

"You scared me. Do you always go skulking about library shelves, looking for girls to pounce on?" Ginny asked sarcastically. Draco smirked.

"I meant scare."

"Only when I've nothing better to do." Draco retorted. The corners of Ginny's mouth twitched.

What do you want?" Ginny asked exasperatedly.

"H- uh, Granger needs your help." Draco mumbled. Ginny's eyebrows shot up. He looked uncomfortable.

"She sent you? It must be bad. Come on, let's go." Ginny said, her tone echoing bossiness as she quickly left the library.

"Oh, wait a minute, would you mind if I stop here and grab something?" Ginny asked as they reached the Great Hall.

"So we're making snack detours, are we? Then I'm getting something too." Ginny shrugged and pulled him inside. He found himself standing uncomfortably next to her at the Gryffindor table as she wrapped a few pieces of toast and a large muffin into a napkin. A few Gryffindors shot him wary looks, which he returned with a sneer.

"Okay, let's go." Ginny said, gesturing to the full napkin. Draco's mouth watered at the thought of the thick, sweet muffin as he followed her from the Hall. Scurrying up the staircases, Draco panted slightly as he tried to keep her pace. Finally, they arrived at Leonard's portrait.

"Godric Gryffindor is my hero." Draco said sourly. Ginny supressed giggles as she clambered through the portrait hole after him and he turned to glare at her. Ginny set the napkin on an end table in the common room. Draco watched as Ginny knocked on the bathroom door, shrieking slightly when it opened, and bading Hermione to open it again as it was shut in her face. After a minute, it opened again.

"Can you help?" Hermione asked. Draco inched closer to the napkin and the muffin he wanted.

"I can try. Poor 'Mione." Ginny said sympathetically. "Oh, hold on, let me grab something first." she said. Hermione closed the door again and Ginny swiftly beat Draco to the napkin and took a piece of toast and the muffin before slipping into Hermione's room. Pouting, Draco took a piece of toast and bit into it, brushing the resulting crumbs from his sweater.

Ginny emerged from Hermione's bedroom with a small device in her hand; it was a camera. She hid it and the food behind her back as she entered the bathroom. Draco heard the sounds of pictures being taken and Hermione's horrified shrieks before Ginny ran out of the bathroom giggling madly, holding the camera.

She shoved it into Draco's hands and jumped down into the common room as Hermione ran out, stopping cold at the sight of Draco standing there. Her hair stood out from her head alarmingly in a tangled ball of brown. It looked like a mushroom cloud sprouting from her head. Hermione let out a squeak of anguish before retreating into the bathroom, followed by the sound of the lock turning in the door.

"I'll have that. Posterity. Would you like some copies?" Ginny asked, grinning. Draco nodded, supressing laughter as he handed her the camera. She slipped it into her schoolbag, which she had dropped on an armchair, before returning to the bathroom. It was nearly 10 minutes of pleading before Ginny remembered that the entire reason she was in Hogwarts was to learn magic and pulled out her wand, muttering "Alohomora" and slipping into the bathroom.

"It's not that bad!" Draco heard her say before the door closed.

---

"What did you do?" Ginny asked incredulously as she tried desperately to tug a comb through Hermione's hair.

"I tried to make it curly with this mousse stuff and so I sprayed some on my head and tried to spread it through my hair with my hands, but they got stuck because my hair was so tangled, and when I finally got them at an angle where I could pull them out, it was straight up, and the mousse set before I could fix it!" Hermione wailed.

"It'll be okay." Ginny said soothingly. Walking to the large bathtub, Ginny turned on the tap and let warm water fill it considerably before turning it off.

"You might want to put on something else. Something you would want to get wet." Ginny said. Hermione nodded and replaced the shirt and sweater with her terry cloth bathrobe. Following Ginny up the stairs to the bath, Hermione knelt down at the edge of the water and gave her friend an inquisitorial look. Before Hermione could say anything, Ginny dunked her in the water up to the neck of her bathrobe. Hermione came up spluttering.

"You could have warned me!" Hermione said angrily. Ginny grinned.

"But then it wouldn't have been much fun." she giggled. Hermione rolled her eyes and put her head back in the water, Ginny scrubbing at her hair to get the mousse out. As Hermione resurfaced, Ginny saw that her hair had wilted into it's normal position. Throwing a towel at Hermione, Ginny went to the counter and surveyed the Muggle products.

"This should be easy."

---

"Well, that Weasley girl does work wonders." Blaise said, eyebrows arched, hiding the developed photographs behind his back as Hermione and Ginny came out of the bathroom. Hermione's hair had settled back into it's normal angle, and Ginny had played with the Muggle products until Hermione's hair had finally softened a little. It was still bushy, but was slightly less so, to Hermione's delight. Ginny was equally happy now that she could blather on about girl stuff without boring Hermione. It was getting harder and harder for Harry to stay awake during their sometimes one-sided conversations.

"Oh, hello, Blaise." Ginny said nonchalantly. Hermione waved her greeting and Blaise nodded to them. Hermione sat in one of the armchairs and Ginny sat on the other end of the sofa from where Blaise was lounging and the three sat in an awkward silence.

"Where's D- Malfoy?" Hermione said, still cautious to throw "Draco" around in front of Blaise and Ginny, and anyone else for that matter.

"In his room. I'll tell him you've emerged." Blaise said with a small smirk, rising and knocking on Draco's door. It swung open and Draco strode into the common room.

"Well, can we finally be off, then?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Nice job, Weasley." he added, nodding at Hermione's hair, and Ginny was surprised to hear him call her "Weasley" without malice lacing the name. A bit of distaste, perhaps, but it was not so sharp and biting this time. Ginny and Hermione followed them out of the portrait hole and down the corridor, after a goodbye and conspiratorial wink from Leonard.

"I hope we haven't missed them."

---

"Your hopes look to be in vain." Draco said as the four stood at the threshold of the courtyard, staring at the tangle of footprints left behind.

"Look, if we run, we may be able to catch up to them." Hermione said hopefully.

"I don't think so..." Ginny said.

"Wait... I have an idea. I know how to get there faster." Hermione trotted through the courtyard and to the left exit, the group following her as she crossed the bridge towards Hagrid's house. She turned and led them along the hillside away from Hagrid's hut and towards a large, undulating mass of green. Pulling out her wand, she remembered third year and hoped that she could remember the trick to passing the obstacle ahead to find a decrepit shack that was their ticket to Hogsmeade.

She was leading them to the Whomping Willow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I have a review already! I just posted last night.

**blackXxXblossom:** Great story so far, xoxo

_Thanks! I'm having thoughts about it being...Not great. I've got a plot thread issue now... GRAARRR! Stupid plot thread. _

**thedustbunny:** Yeah, you should stick to this writing style, the chapters are super long! Lol. Anyways, awesome chapter, update soon!

_Thanks! I lurrrrrve super-long chapters. I hate stories where it's like, OOOH, ONE PARAGRAPH!!! I need massive amounts of chapter-ness at once. I love detail too. It's like... rad. Thanks for reviewing!_

**Esmerald tears:** Hahaha, poor Hermione! I know how that feels! Anyway, I really liked this chapter. I like the change in both Draco and Hermione; and I hope that something happens between them soon! YAY!

_ Thank you! _

**xx.just. hahahaha... oh dear, poor hermione. Lovely chapter, can't wait for the next update! Ash xx**

_Thanks! _

**Won-Won is gwoss gwoss**: Gwagle! I larv this story! Hahahahahahah! frigin hahaha hair hahashaha avacado hahahahha. this is so hilarious! i will send evil vampire bunnies after you if you do not continue this story!! and they only listen to me and cupcakes!! so ha! but anyway, actual substansial review time: I really like this plot. Most writers/authors/authoresses kind of push the timing along a bit, but it's nice to see for once that it can progress to civil aquaintences and stay that way for a bit. awesome cliffies by the way! maybe a bit more attention to the dialogue? Just gets a tad bare at times. Nice to see the characters..erm.. in character, and how you can easily bring balise and ginny into this. And, I love the concious conversations. Favorite bit so far: SHUT UP AND ANNOY SOMEONE ELSE. i can't. i'm your concious. DAMN. hahhahah! i larv it! Keep on writing and don't let anyone getcha down!!

_WOW! Thanks for such a really long review! I haven't seen one of these in a while. Yeah, I know, my dialogue is a bit skimpy. I'm workin' on it. Thanks!!_

Thanks so much to all my lovely and faithful reviewers!!

_Charlotte_


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